Jens Stoltenberg, former NATO Secretary General, told Sky News that one of his main messages to Donald Trump was: “The U.S. needs NATO.”
Stoltenberg led the alliance from 2014 to 2024, a period that included Trump’s first term in office.
“The United States is safer with more than 30 NATO allies and partners; Russia and China do not have anything like what the U.S. has,” he said during an interview with Barbara Serra.
Now serving as Norway’s Finance Minister, Stoltenberg was also asked about differences within the alliance ahead of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s visit to the White House later in the day.
The main point of contention between Trump and Orban lies in energy policy. Trump has urged Europe to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas, while Budapest has resisted the European Commission’s plan to phase out all Russian gas imports by 2027, according to A2 CNN.
Last month, Trump said that Orban had requested an exemption for purchasing Russian oil, highlighting the divergence between the U.S. and Hungary on energy issues.
