U.S. President Donald Trump has been a sharp critic of NATO for years, but his rhetorical attacks on the alliance have accelerated amid the Iran war. Trump has ripped into NATO allies for not participating in the war and threatened to withdraw the United States from the alliance.
Trump’s presidency has proved to be a major test for the trans-Atlantic alliance and has led Europe to take steps to be more self-reliant when it comes to defense. The tensions he’s generated between Washington and NATO have raised serious questions as to whether it will survive him.
But while some NATO leaders have ripped into Trump for his leadership style and decision-making, not everyone in the alliance views him as a problem.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys actually believes that NATO will be better off in the long run because of Trump. “At the end of the day, when we look back to this period, I’m convinced that the conclusion will be that President Trump made this alliance stronger, not weaker,” Budrys told Foreign Policy on Saturday during an interview at the GLOBSEC Forum in Prague, Czech Republic.
What’s more, Budrys appeared to agree with some of Trump’s criticisms of NATO in relation to the Iran war, arguing that European countries should have been more willing to help the United States solve the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. “That’s our ally that needs our participation,” Budrys said. “NATO allies should take their part and also take on our own solution to this situation.”
