NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday “it’s not a new Cold War” between the United States and Russia but “we have seen increased tensions — and the relationship between NATO and Russia has been worse for many years.”
“That just underlines the importance of what we call our dual approach for NATO,” Stoltenberg told Wolf Blitzer on CNN. “We need to have stronger defenses and credible deterrence against Russia.
“Russia is our biggest neighbor. Russia is here to stay.
“We have to find a way to manage a relationship with them and how to avoid the new Cold War and arms race.”
Stoltenberg’s interview came after a daylong meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House — and the president declared at a news conference NATO was “no longer obsolete.”
He told Blitzer he was happy with Trump’s new NATO assessment.
“That reflects the reality that NATO is adapting as the world is changing,” he said. “We have been able to change.”
Stoltenberg, 58, the former prime minister of Norway, said he trusted Trump commitment to the organization, as well as his leadership skills because he was “elected by the people of America, elected by a democratic process in a NATO country.
“But the strength of NATO is that we have always been able to agree that we protect each other and we stand together and we are stronger together.”
Regarding Russia, Stoltenberg said NATO remained very concerned about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s activities in Eastern Europe, particularly in the Baltic countries and Poland.
“But it is important now to react in a measured and responsible way,” he said. “We see increased tensions and see a more aggressive Russia, but we don’t see any imminent threat of military attack against any NATO ally country.
“NATO is strong and NATO has increased our military presence in the Eastern part of alliance.”
Source: newsmax – NATO Chief: No ‘New Cold War’ Between US, Russia
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