Welcome words on NATO from Mike Pence, but is he genuine?

Welcome words on NATO from Mike Pence, but is he genuine?

Pence: 'We expect our allies to keep their word'

Mike Pence's speech ticked the boxes.

Full of platitudes for Europe and NATO, a word of warning for Russia and a dig at Iran.

He spoke about his travels through Europe during the Cold War days of the 1970s - passing from West to East Berlin and the depressing effects of communism. Let's not return to those days, he said.

Stood in a Munich conference hall, he reminded the audience that 100 years ago this year, the US entered World War One and came to Europe's rescue against a German aggressor.

But he also noted how Europe came to America's aid when NATO's Article 5 was invoked following 9/11.


Pence: 'We expect our allies to keep their word'

After the speech, I grabbed 30 seconds with him as he walked to a bilateral meeting.

"Does Donald Trump still believe NATO is obsolete?" I asked him.

He didn't bite. But that word hangs over the alliance still and hangs over the White House too.

Two hours after the Vice President's speech, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stood on the stage and spoke of a "post-West world".

It was a direct challenge to NATO and a direct challenge to Mr Trump.

Pence says US committed to NATO

Although we've heard a fair bit from the US Defense Secretary James Mattis in recent days, he rarely referenced Mr Trump directly.

Pence made clear from the outset, and then repeated regularly, that he was delivering a message from President Trump.

The message of reassurance was welcome, it went down well in the hall, but it was so different to everything we've previously heard from the Trump White House that it's left everyone wondering how genuine it is.

European leaders want to believe it's true, but actions will be more important than words.