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Czech President Petr Pavel called the harsh statements by Donald Trump toward NATO “unfair.”
He said that recent criticism from Trump has caused more damage to the Alliance’s credibility than the actions of Vladimir Putin over many years, according to The Guardian. Pavel, a retired NATO general, also noted that Trump’s criticism of NATO in connection with the war with Iran was, “to put it mildly, unfair.”
Speaking at an event organized by the Czech media outlet Seznam Zprávy in Prague, Pavel emphasized that NATO is built on the principles of deterrence and collective defense.
“Once we start questioning the Alliance as a single, cohesive entity ready to act together and decisively, its role is naturally diminished,” the Czech president warned.
He added: “It must be said that Donald Trump has done more to undermine the Alliance’s credibility in the past few weeks than Vladimir Putin has in many years. That is, of course, not very good news.”
Pavel stressed that Trump’s criticism appears to overlook the fact that NATO is a defensive alliance, “not an alliance that automatically provides assistance in wars conducted outside its territory.”
The Czech president also pointed out that European allies “were not informed about the goals and operations from the outset, and, in fact, were not even asked to cooperate.”
“Only when the war began to develop, possibly in an unexpected direction, did Donald Trump state that European allies should take care of the security of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and when he did not receive a positive response, he interpreted it as a disappointment for the entire NATO,” Pavel said, calling this “unfair.”
It has been reported that Trump is also considering penalizing individual NATO countries that, in his view, did not support the United States and Israel in the war with Iran. The potential plan could include withdrawing U.S. troops from these countries and redeploying them to allies that showed greater support.
The New York Times wrote that Trump’s return to the White House is seen as a success for Putin, as the current U.S. president is considered a key Russian asset. In the new reality, allies are no longer rushing to act at Washington’s signal. Analysts say this reflects a shift in the logic of alliances that for decades underpinned U.S. influence.
