US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Wednesday he did not expect Washington’s foreign policy to change following the midterm elections, which saw Republicans lose control of both chambers of Congress.
– “The foreign policy of the United States has not changed, and I don’t expect it to change with the midterm election,” Whitaker told a panel at the Berlin Security Conference.
– “The issues that we’re facing as a country and as an alliance are the same,” he said.
– “We need a strong Europe inside a strong NATO, and we have been accomplishing that project every single year since we got it in.“
– Addressing defense burden-sharing, Whitaker acknowledged past disagreements among allies but emphasized that the Trump administration remained committed to its obligations under the NATO treaty.
– “Obviously, we are a signatory to the Washington Treaty, and Article 5 is sort of the agreement that we all signed up for. And we also signed up for the entire treaty,” he said.
– Whitaker reiterated that Washington stood by its commitments while expecting European allies to strengthen their defense capabilities.
– Tuesday’s midterm elections dealt a major setback to President Donald Trump and his Republican Party, with Democrats projected by major US media outlets to regain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.