Trump will honor NATO commitment, Obama says

President-elect Donald Trump is committed to NATO, President Barack Obama said Monday.

Trump, the Republican president-elect whose unexpected victory last week shocked other world leaders, was often critical of NATO on the campaign trail, going so far as to call it “obsolete.” Those statements, coupled with his praise of Russian leader Vladimir Putin -- with whom Trump spoke by phone on Monday -- have alarmed foreign leaders, especially in the front-line states in Eastern Europe and the Baltics.


Obama, who is preparing to embark on his last trip to Europe as president, said Trump signaled when they met last week that he would not be throwing out the decades-old alliance.

“He expressed a great interest in maintaining our core strategic relationships,” Obama said at his first press conference since last week’s election. “And so, one of the messages I will be able to deliver is his commitment to NATO and the Transatlantic Alliance.”

“I think that's one of the most important functions I can serve at this stage during this trip. is to let them know that there is no weakening of resolve when it comes to America's commitment to maintaining a strong and robust NATO relationship and a recognition that those alliances aren't just good for Europe, they're good for the United States,” he added. “And they're vital for the world.”

Responding to a question about foreign leaders’ concerns about Trump, Obama also made a point to note that the president, while “the spokesperson for the nation,” is not the only person affecting U.S. foreign policy.

“The influence and the work that we have is the result not just of the president,” he said. “It is the result of countless interactions and arrangements and relationships between our military and other militaries and our diplomats and other diplomats, and intelligence officers and development workers. And there is enormous continuity beneath the day-to-day news that makes us that indispensable nation when it comes to maintaining order and promoting prosperity around the world. That will continue.”

Also on Monday, National Security Adviser Susan Rice told AFP that allies could trust the United States to fulfill its treaty obligations, even under a President Trump.

"The weight of this office, and the weight of American global leadership, and the responsibilities that it entails, and the history that we share, the interests that endure, make it reasonable for our allies and partners to expect that the United States will uphold its obligations," she said.