Poland's Tusk questions US loyalty to NATO
on Google
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk put into question Washington's readiness to defend Europe in accordance with NATO obligations, the Financial Times reported on April 24.
Europe's "biggest, most important question is if the United States is ready to be as loyal as it is described in our (NATO) treaties," Tusk told the Financial Times in an interview.
The comments underscore the growing unease among NATO allies after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly floated leaving the alliance.
Trump, a long-time NATO critic, threatened repercussions against allies who refused to join the U.S. war with Iran. Previously, he also aggressively pushed to annex Greenland, a territory of a NATO ally, Denmark.
The steps have cast doubt on Washington's willingness to honor Article 5's defense clause and to come to the alliance's aid if Russia threatens NATO's eastern frontier.
For those on the alliance's eastern flank, the issue is whether NATO is ready to respond in the event of a Russian attack, Tusk said, arguing that some members pretended "that nothing happened" when Russian drones were shot down in Polish airspace last fall.
"I want to believe that (Article 5) is still valid, but sometimes, of course, I have some problems," the Polish leader told the Financial Times, warning that Russia could attack the alliance within months.
Poland, bordering both Russia's heavily militarized Kaliningrad exclave and Moscow's ally Belarus, has become NATO's top defense spender and is rapidly building Europe's largest land force.
read also
Kateryna Hodunova
Liliane Bivings
