Story highlights Trump's relationship with Russia is worrying, Alexander said

"There's real anxiety," he said

The Axe Files, featuring David Axelrod, is a podcast distributed by CNN and produced at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. The authors work for the podcast.

Chicago (CNN) America's European allies are experiencing "real anxiety" over President-elect Donald Trump's commitment to NATO in light of his burgeoning relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the former British Minister of State for Europe.

"There's very real concern in Europe over the language that President-elect Trump is using in relation to Vladimir Putin, partly as a consequence of the actions that he took in Ukraine, partly because of his determination to divide Europe and weaken Europe," the Rt. Hon. Douglas Alexander, the Labour Party's former shadow foreign secretary, told David Axelrod on "The Axe Files" podcast, produced by CNN and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.

"There's real anxiety, not just amongst people who have long worried about Russia's influence on the continent, but amongst a growing section of the population who think actually this is the first time that we've seen international borders transgressed in this way in recent decades," Alexander said.

Specifically, Alexander said Trump's campaign statement that NATO was "obsolete" has caused concern in the Baltic states, especially in light of Trump's suggestion that he might not honor the treaty's pledge of mutual defense against outside aggression.

"If you're in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, there is deep fear as to whether he takes seriously the terms of collective security, which is the fundamental basis of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the alliance that has served the interests of Europe so well over the decades," Alexander said.

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