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State Department’s spokesperson: “We, of course, support NATO completely, and their role is imperative for a safe and stable Europe, and that’s the point: being a deterrent”
The United States on Monday defended NATO members’ decision to increase their defense spending ultimately up to five percent of gross domestic product, after Russia called the move “catastrophic.”
“What we do know is what apparently bothers Russia is the fact that NATO is going to be strongly returning to its original roots of being a deterrent,” State Department’s spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a daily briefing when asked by Kyiv Post’s correspondent about Moscow’s reactions to the outcomes of last week’s NATO summit.
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Earlier on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that a decision by NATO members to increase their defense spending could ultimately lead to the alliance’s collapse.
NATO “needs to be guided by common sense,” Lavrov was quoted by Russian state media as saying.
NATO leaders last week backed the spending increase that US President Donald Trump had demanded, and said they were united in their resolve to defend each other against what they cast as a threat from Russia.
Bruce told Kyiv Post’s correspondent that deterrence is “what NATO’s job has been.”
“The advancement of their commitment to defense is remarkable… We of course support NATO completely, and their role is imperative for a safe and stable Europe, and that’s the point: being a deterrent,” she added.
“This kind of defense spending helps them achieve that, and of course it is something that would not have happened without President Trump’s encouragement and demand. And so we’re excited about that,” Bruce concluded.
Alex Raufoglu is Kyiv Post’s Chief Correspondent in Washington DC. He covers the US State Department, regularly traveling with US Secretary of State. Raufoglu has worked extensively in the South Caucasus and Black Sea regions for several international broadcast outlets, such as VoA, BBC, RFE/RL, etc. He holds an MA in Interactive Journalism from American University, Washington DC.
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