Chilling ‘Cold War’ warning to US

In the first address to US Congress by a NATO head, secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday warned of the risks of a new Cold War with Russia.

Underscoring the need for members of the alliance to take a stronger stance on the Kremlin, Mr Stoltenberg urged America not to underestimate the importance of the peacekeeping alliance.

“We do not want a new arms race,” Mr Stoltenberg said.

“We do not want a new Cold War. But we must not be naive,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
 

Mr Stoltenberg, who received several standing ovations throughout his speech, said the 29-nation alliance needed to prepare for the end of the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which the United States is exiting as it says a Russian system is in violation.

“We do not want to isolate Russia. We strive for better relationship with Russia,” Mr Stoltenberg said.

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“But even with a better relationship, we still need to manage a difficult one.”

The NATO chief acknowledged serious divisions within the alliance and called for bigger defence budgets to cope with global challenges such as Russian assertiveness, the core reason NATO was created 70 years ago this week.

“We have to be frank,” Mr Stoltenberg said before the joint meeting of Congress.
 

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“Questions are being asked on both sides of the Atlantic about the strength of our partnership. And, yes, there are differences.”

The NATO secretary-general credited US President Donald Trump with compelling allies to spend more on defence, without noting Mr Trump also has questioned the value of the alliance and suggested some members are freeloaders.

Mr Trump’s criticisms have upset a delicate balance within an alliance that has long counted on Washington to be its leader.
 

Mr Stoltenberg made a point of highlighting the benefits to the United States of having NATO allies. He noted, for example, that in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 of its founding charter to come to the aid of a member under attack.

He said allies also provided the US with valuable military support in peacetime, from tracking submarines in the Arctic to providing bases in Europe from which the US can project power. “Our alliance has not lasted for 70 years out of a sense of nostalgia or of sentiment,” he said. “NATO lasts because it is in the national interest of each and every one of our countries.”

Mr Mr Stoltenberg on Thursday will lead a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, hosted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to mark 70 years since the alliance’s founding charter, the North Atlantic Treaty.
 

The alliance has grown from its original 12 members to 29, with the Republic of North Macedonia about to become the 30th member country.

“Open discussions and different views is not a sign of weakness,” Mr Stoltenberg said. “It is a sign of strength. So we should not be surprised when we see differences between our countries. Today there are disagreements on issues such as trade, energy, climate change and the Iran nuclear deal. These are serious issues with serious disagreements.”

Mr Trump has sharply criticised other NATO members, including Germany, for not meeting spending targets. On Tuesday, however, he praised the generally upward trend in spending among the European allies. But he hounded them to pay even more, saying America still shoulders a disproportionate share of the cost of protecting Europe.
 

In a meeting at the White House, Mr Trump and Mr Stoltenberg had kind words for each other. But in the past, Mr Trump has called NATO “obsolete” and suggested he might pull the US out of the alliance if member nations didn’t significantly boost their defence spending.

“We’ve worked together on getting some of our allies to pay their fair share,” Mr Trump told reporters. “At some point, it’s going to have to go higher.”

Mr Trump took credit for the increased spending. However, spending by NATO countries, which dropped after the end of the Cold War, has been rising since 2014, before Mr Trump took office.