NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte does not doubt the US commitment to its obligations to the alliance, in particular its role as the main guarantor of nuclear deterrence.
“US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week actually repeated what US President Donald Trump said three times on television: that the US is fully committed to NATO and fully committed to Article 5. This means that the United States, through nuclear deterrence, is the main guarantor of NATO territory, of course, including the European part of the alliance“, he said in an interview with CBS, commenting on the plans of some European countries to create their own nuclear umbrella.
According to Rutte, the Trump administration, since it came to power, has consistently declared compliance with their obligations to the alliance. "I urge my European colleagues to turn on the TV and sometimes listen to the statements of senior American leaders when it comes to NATO, instead of constantly worrying about whether the United States is committed to NATO. The answer is yes, and it has been coming from the American authorities continuously for the past three months", he noted.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron, in an address to his fellow citizens, said that he would start discussions with allies on the possibility of accepting European countries under the protection of the French nuclear deterrent forces. Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Denmark have already made it clear that they are open to discussing this issue.
The Financial Times wrote earlier that US allies in Europe and Asia are exploring the possibility of creating their own nuclear shield due to the US administration's policy of restoring relations with Russia.