Security
'Stronger and safer together': NATO turns 75 in shadow of Ukraine war
'I believe in America and Europe together in NATO, because, fundamentally, we are stronger and safer together,' NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.
![The NATO and Ukrainian flag are pictured in Vilnius, Lithuania, last July 9, a few days ahead of a NATO summit. [Petras Malukas/AFP]](/gc6/images/2024/04/05/46323-nato_1-370_237.webp)
By Kontur and AFP |
BRUSSELS -- The United States and Europe must stick together, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and US President Joe Biden said April 4, as the Western military alliance turned 75 menaced by an aggressive Russia.
The Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 reinvigorated NATO as it was confronted by one of the most serious challenges since it emerged from the ashes of World War II to counter the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact group.
The alliance has bolstered its forces across eastern Europe and grown to 32 members after Finland and Sweden joined its ranks.
"I do not believe in America alone, just as I don't believe in Europe alone," Stoltenberg said at a ceremony at NATO's Brussels headquarters.
![NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (center), accompanied by NATO Military Committee chairman and Dutch Adm. Rob Bauer (front left) and NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana (front right) and international foreign ministers, attends the alliance's 75th anniversary celebration at NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 4. [Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP]](/gc6/images/2024/04/05/46324-nato_2-370_237.webp)
"I believe in America and Europe together in NATO, because, fundamentally, we are stronger and safer together."
NATO has showcased increased spending by its European allies -- with 20 members this year set to hit a target of 2% of GDP for defense.
"North America also needs Europe," Stoltenberg said, after a Belgian military band played the NATO anthem.
"Through NATO, the United States has more friends and more allies than any other major power."
Biden insisted that the United States must stick to the promises it has made to its allies in Europe to help protect them if attacked.
"We must remember that the sacred commitment we make to our allies -- to defend every inch of NATO territory -- makes us safer too," he said in a statement.
Biden hailed NATO's unity over the past two years as the alliance stepped up military support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's "vicious invasion."
"As our adversaries have plotted to break our remarkable unity, our democracies have stood unwavering," he added.