Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said the US and Nato were faced with a “marriage crisis” as frustrations mount on both sides of the Atlantic, urging Washington to stand with its allies or risk America’s fall.
Francken, speaking at a think tank event in Washington on Tuesday, likened the strained transatlantic relationship, which has held for close to 80 years, to a “crisis”, saying “it’s very difficult”.
“I’m convinced that we’re having a marriage crisis ... There’s a lot of frustration on both sides of the Atlantic. A lot of miscomprehension of one another’s position and sometimes even anger,” he told the discussion organised by the Atlantic Council.
“That’s dangerous because geopolitical times are very unstable [and] difficult ... And it’s better that we’re united.”
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the transatlantic alliance since returning to the White House, accusing Nato allies of freeloading off American military spending. He has called Nato a “paper tiger” and threatened to withdraw from the security alliance.
In the most recent flashpoint, Trump called the group “cowards” after Nato’s reluctance to join US efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Francken said Nato is unaccustomed to Trump’s “harsh” language, adding that both sides should distinguish between tone and substance, as US troop levels in Europe have remained unchanged and Washington’s spending on Nato programmes has increased.
“The brutality that comes out of the rhetoric, we’re not used to that in Europe,” he said. “[But] you have the rhetoric and then you have the facts. So I think I’m not panicking about the end of Nato but its situation is serious and there’s a lot of frustration.”
Francken’s comments came as Britain’s King Charles met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, with the monarch delivering a message of friendship and unity as the transatlantic alliance frayed.
Addressing concerns in the US that Europe was freeriding on American military spending, the Belgian minister pushed back, saying that Europe was stepping up its military spending and capabilities even if that took time.
Yet he was equally blunt about European frustrations, including Trump’s threats over Greenland, which he said were a “total red line”.
Francken also called Trump’s frustration over Nato not being engaged in the Iranian conflict “a bit strange” as “the priority of Nato is [the] collective defence of Nato territory”.
“[We are] always there to engage when freedom of navigation is under pressure,” he said, adding that Belgium was ready to offer help alongside Britain and France “when there is a stable ceasefire”.
Belgium had earlier indicated that it was willing to participate in securing the Strait of Hormuz, but only if a lasting ceasefire was in place.
Francken at one point admitted that Nato “sometimes can be a paper tiger” but he argued that Nato was “also very operational”. “There’s more nuance in this than only saying that it is a paper tiger. That’s like one big bunch of bureaucrats. That’s not true,” he added.
Asked about Belgium’s integration with its naval partners, Francken said smaller countries needed to cooperate with other powers but added that the US must also work with its allies.
“I don’t have problems with ‘America first’, but if it ends up being America alone, you will fall. The American empire will fall. Every empire falls when there is no ally,” he said.
“And in Europe, we need to work together with the Americans because ... it’s always good to have a strong friend.” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
