The former NATO chief says he expects the USA to remain a strong ally in NATO even when Donald Trump takes over as president in about a week.
It is in the USA's interest to continue cooperating in NATO, says Stoltenberg at a press conference in Stockholm where he has been tasked with writing a report on how Nordic-Baltic security and defense cooperation can be strengthened.
He points out that the USA has over 30 allied countries through NATO – something neither China nor Russia has.
Stoltenberg headed NATO during the years when Trump was president for the first time and says that even though there were strong statements and surprising outbursts from the president, NATO's 32 countries managed to unite.
You can disagree with Trump on many issues, but I think we all agree with the USA that Europe spends too little money on defense, says Stoltenberg.
Trump has not primarily been against NATO itself. He has been against NATO countries that spend too little money on NATO. And that has changed significantly.
Since then, NATO countries have increased their defense budgets and the number of countries that spend at least 2 percent of GDP on their defense has gone from two to 23, says Stoltenberg.
It's a completely different reality today, says Stoltenberg.
