I want the whole of Europe to know that the United States is here, said Joe Biden after arriving at the Alliance summit
US President Joe Biden said today in Brussels that the collective defense of NATO, the principle that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, is a sacred obligation.
His predecessor, Donald Trump, avoided confirming that the United States supported Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which defines NATO’s collective defense.
Article 5 is a sacred obligation. I want the whole of Europe to know that the United States is there – Biden said upon arriving at the Alliance summit and added:
I constantly remind Americans that NATO mobilized when America was attacked on its soil for the first time since the beginning of World War II. The Allies respected Article 5, Biden added, referring to the solidarity of the Allies after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
He called on members to face together the new challenges posed by Russia and China.
There is a growing awareness in the last two years that we have new challenges. We have a Russia that is not behaving the way we hoped. And there is also China – said the American president.
In the final declaration, they will adopt today, NATO leaders will name China as a “systemic challenge” for the first time.
“China’s publicly expressed ambitions and assertive behavior pose systemic challenges to an international order based on rules and in areas relevant to Allied security,” the draft document said.
