US ambassador rejects claim Washington seeks to dismantle Nato

Matthew Whitaker, the US ambassador to Nato, said he 'completely rejects everything I just heard' in response to a Munich Security Conference report that warned the greatest challenge to the liberal international order was 'coming from within.' He insisted the United States is not trying to dismantle Nato or undermine existing alliances.

Whitaker said Washington aims to 'balance' the defence burden by pushing European allies to 'do more and to be capable and strong,' arguing that allied strength is what 'guarantees the peace.' He added the goal is to make Nato work as an alliance of 32 strong and capable allies, not to withdraw from it.

On trade, he said the US wants to challenge what it views as 'unfair' arrangements that left Europe running a 'huge trade surplus' with the United States, and complained there is 'a lot of discussion and not a lot of action' in Europe. He urged partners to step up defence spending and to 'follow through' on promises, including the new Nato spending targets.

United States, Munich

matthew whitaker, us ambassador, nato, munich security, liberal order, defence burden, european allies, defence spending, trade surplus, nato spending