U.S. Envoy Triggers NATO Friction with ‘Kids’ Remark
The remarks come amid repeated signals from the administration of US President Donald Trump that Washington plans to reduce its security commitments in Europe while prioritizing “defending the US Homeland and deterring China.”
On Monday, organizers of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), scheduled for February 13–15, warned in their annual report that “for decades, Europe thrived under an American security umbrella that allowed it to prioritize integration and prosperity over hard power. That era has ended.”
Speaking at the report’s presentation, Whitaker pushed back sharply. “I completely reject everything I just heard,” he said, insisting that Washington is “not trying to dismantle NATO,” but is instead pressing European allies to assume greater responsibility for their own defense.
Expanding on his point, Whitaker told the audience: “When your kids are young, they’re dependent on you. But eventually you expect them to get a job. And so to me, that’s where we are. We still love them. You’re still allies,”
While thanking allies for agreeing to raise military spending to 5% in 2024, Whitaker argued that progress on turning funding into real capabilities has been too slow. “One of the things that I’ve noticed in my time here in Europe is there is a lot of discussion and not a lot of action,” he stressed.
The comments revive memories of controversy from last year, when NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte faced ridicule and accusations of “sucking up” to Trump after referring to the US president as “daddy” during the alliance’s summit in The Hague. Trump appeared amused by the remark, telling reporters it was a sign of affection. “I think he likes me, if he doesn’t, I’ll come back and hit him hard,” Trump joked.
Meanwhile, Moscow moved to restate its position. Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia has “no intention of attacking Europe. There is no reason to do so.” He cautioned, however, that NATO would face “a full-fledged military response” if it were to use force against Russia first.
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