During his conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a new US Defense Secretary James Mattis emphasized that Washington attaches considerable importance to the alliance, BBC reports.
«Both chiefs discussed the importance of our common values, and the defense secretary emphasized that the USA always started from Europe, when they were seeking allies for protection of these values», Pentagon Spokesman Jeff Davis said.
Mattis had also phone conversation with UK Secretary of State for Defense, during which he also noted that the USA remain enduringly committed to NATO.
US President Donald Trump repeatedly called NATO the obsolete military union, which lost its role. According to Trump, the alliance is ineffective, and the contribution of US European allies into organization is insufficient.
He also claimed that the USA should think twice if it needs to come to the rescue to NATO member country, which is attacked, if that country does not pay due contribution to the budget of the alliance.
Acording to Trump, NATO is too expensive for the USA, and the country cannot afford it.
According to the estimates of the alliance, as of 2016, only five NATO members complied with the with the requirement on increasing defense expenditures up to 2% GDP: it is the USA, United Kingdom, Greece, Poland and Estonia.
