Reuters, Brussels :
Barely 12 hours after being sworn in U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went straight to NATO headquarters on Friday in what European allies saw as strong support for an institution that U.S. President Donald Trump once called obsolete.
In a closed door meeting, Pompeo and fellow foreign ministers of the military pact forged a consensus on the need for a response to “Russian aggression”, a U.S. official said, adding that Pompeo pressed allies to raise military budgets. Earlier Pompeo was quick to praise NATO as “invaluable” just minutes after getting off his plane, in his first meeting of the day, with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a sharp contrast to Trump’s earlier rebuke of the alliance. “The work that is being done here today is invaluable and our objectives are important and this mission means a lot to the United States of America,” Pompeo told Stoltenberg.
Despite European confusion about Trump’s foreign policy and his “America First” rhetoric, allies feted Pompeo. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said it was “impressive to come here one night after being inaugurated. It’s an impressive start.” Stoltenberg said Pompeo’s visit to Brussels was “a great expression of the importance of the alliance.” Pompeo, a former Army officer who was a Republican congressman, is regarded as a loyal supporter of Trump with hawkish views. But on Russia those views are largely shared by European allies because of Moscow’s 2014 seizure of Crimea. Pompeo’s presence at NATO was seen as crucial as the alliance prepares for a July 11-12 summit in Brussels where NATO leaders are set to agree a new deterrent to Moscow, including a command to defend the Atlantic in the case of conflict. Even before his confirmation on Thursday, the former CIA director was already involved in U.S. diplomacy, although this is first meeting at NATO, an organization founded on defense against the threat from the former Soviet Union. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said NATO needed to respond to what the West says is the Kremlin’s mix of not just the conventional military threat but covert and cyber warfare. “One of the key things we’re doing is looking again at … how we strengthen our collective response to the kind of hybrid attacks that so many NATO allies are experiencing from Russia,” he told reporters.
Barely 12 hours after being sworn in U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went straight to NATO headquarters on Friday in what European allies saw as strong support for an institution that U.S. President Donald Trump once called obsolete.
In a closed door meeting, Pompeo and fellow foreign ministers of the military pact forged a consensus on the need for a response to “Russian aggression”, a U.S. official said, adding that Pompeo pressed allies to raise military budgets. Earlier Pompeo was quick to praise NATO as “invaluable” just minutes after getting off his plane, in his first meeting of the day, with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a sharp contrast to Trump’s earlier rebuke of the alliance. “The work that is being done here today is invaluable and our objectives are important and this mission means a lot to the United States of America,” Pompeo told Stoltenberg.
Despite European confusion about Trump’s foreign policy and his “America First” rhetoric, allies feted Pompeo. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said it was “impressive to come here one night after being inaugurated. It’s an impressive start.” Stoltenberg said Pompeo’s visit to Brussels was “a great expression of the importance of the alliance.” Pompeo, a former Army officer who was a Republican congressman, is regarded as a loyal supporter of Trump with hawkish views. But on Russia those views are largely shared by European allies because of Moscow’s 2014 seizure of Crimea. Pompeo’s presence at NATO was seen as crucial as the alliance prepares for a July 11-12 summit in Brussels where NATO leaders are set to agree a new deterrent to Moscow, including a command to defend the Atlantic in the case of conflict. Even before his confirmation on Thursday, the former CIA director was already involved in U.S. diplomacy, although this is first meeting at NATO, an organization founded on defense against the threat from the former Soviet Union. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said NATO needed to respond to what the West says is the Kremlin’s mix of not just the conventional military threat but covert and cyber warfare. “One of the key things we’re doing is looking again at … how we strengthen our collective response to the kind of hybrid attacks that so many NATO allies are experiencing from Russia,” he told reporters.
