European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks by recalling the moment NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in its history.
“We stood with America. For the first and only time in its history, NATO invoked Article 5. An attack on one was an attack on all. We stood together in defense of the principles that unite us on both sides of the Atlantic - freedom and democracy,” von der Leyen said in a statement.
She was speaking on the anniversary of the attacks in the United States in which more than 3,000 people from around the world were killed.
Her remarks come as questions over NATO's collective defense commitments have again become prominent. Since returning to the White House in 2025, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that the United States, NATO’s most powerful member, would not defend alliance countries that fail to spend enough on defense.
“25 years ago, the world froze. We watched in horror and disbelief as the Twin Towers collapsed, glued to our screens,” von der Leyen said.
