01:59 22-05-2026

Stoltenberg Warns NATO Cannot Survive Without the US

Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jens Stoltenberg warns NATO cannot survive without the US, saying the EU cannot replace the alliance as Trump weighs a possible American withdrawal.

Norwegian Finance Minister and former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sweden’s SVT channel that the alliance would not survive without the United States, while the European Union would be unable to replace it.

According to Stoltenberg, a NATO without Washington would no longer be the alliance that has existed for almost 80 years, because its foundation has always been Europe and the United States confronting threats together.

He said he would do everything possible to prevent a split between Europe and the US. Stoltenberg also stressed that the EU does not have the capacity to take NATO’s place when it comes to collective defence and security guarantees.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he was seriously considering the possibility of pulling the country out of the alliance after NATO partners refused to support Washington in an operation against Tehran. He described the bloc’s response to the request as a major blow to NATO’s reputation. According to Trump, the United States can no longer count on help from partners who are unwilling to provide it.

In early May, Trump also ordered a reduction of the American military presence in Germany. Initially, the plan involved the withdrawal of around 5,000 troops, but he later promised to expand the scale of the cuts. The president also did not rule out reducing the number of US forces stationed in Italy and Spain.