US President Donald Trump and NATO both agree on the need for dialogue with Russia from a position of strength, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said today. Trump has badly rattled Europe with his softer line on Moscow and by calling into question Washington's near-70 year commitment to an alliance he dubbed "obsolete" and an unfair burden on the US taxpayer.
But Stoltenberg said that in recent phone conversations with Trump and US Defence Secretary James Mattis, "they all conveyed the same message that the United States remains committed to NATO and the transatlantic bond."