Germany concerned about Trump’s threat to withdraw from NATO

German Foreign Minister Johan Wadewohl expressed his concern about US President Donald Trump’s statements regarding a possible withdrawal of the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The chief German diplomat told the Funke media group: “Of course, such statements worry me,” but at the same time he indicated that it was still possible to avoid the United States’ exit from the alliance. He added: “I believe that our clear commitment and firm support for the Alliance will convince the United States to continue this success story together.”

Vadiful stressed that “NATO is of enormous importance to the security of Germany and all other allies,” pointing to the accession of Sweden and Finland, and the Europeans’ commitment to spending 5% of economic output on defense.

The German Foreign Minister also indicated that Trump cannot make a decision about withdrawing from NATO on his own. He said: “It will need at least the approval of the US Senate.”

Indeed, Trump recently faced bipartisan opposition in the Senate, due to his statements.

Trump and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, recently threatened again that the United States would leave NATO, due to the allies’ refusal to engage in the Iran war.

In response to a question from the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph whether he would reconsider NATO membership, Trump said: “Yes, I would say that the matter has gone beyond reconsideration.”