German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) expressed growing concern over remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that hinted at a possible American exit from NATO. “Such statements do naturally worry me” Wadephul told the Funke Media Group newspapers. “NATO is of enormous importance for the security of the Federal Republic of Germany and for all alliance partners”.
Wadephul stressed that NATO remains the world’s most successful defense alliance. “We are stronger than ever. Sweden and Finland have joined us, adding two members. As Europeans we have pledged to spend five percent of our GDP on defense. We should not question these achievements but build on them” he said. “The world has become less secure, so we must stand together in the alliance even more”.
Trump had earlier called NATO “a paper tiger” in an interview with the British newspaper “The Telegraph”, and when asked whether he would rethink NATO membership after the Iran war, the President replied, “Oh yes, I would say that it goes beyond a simple question”.
Wadephul is confident that a U.S. exit can be averted. “I believe that our clear commitment and decisive stand for the alliance will convince the United States to keep writing this success story together” he asserted. “It is not in the U.S. interest to abandon the growing strength that comes from our unity”. He added that a withdrawal is not solely a presidential decision; it would require approval from at least a Senate majority.
The Foreign Minister pointed to the U.S. reliance on Germany and the alliance, noting the sole invocation of the Article 5 “assistance” clause after the September 11, 2001 attacks. “In Afghanistan, Germany has stood beside the U.S. for 20 years. We have lost soldiers, we have fought, and we have shown commitment” Wadephul remarked.
Regarding the continued validity of Article 5’s collective defense obligation, he said, “Absolutely. All NATO partners stand by it, and we demonstrate the alliance’s deterrence power every day on all fronts”.