Washington will work with NATO allies on issues related to Russia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

This was announced by US President Joe Biden in a telephone conversation with the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Jens Stoltenberg, the White House reports.

“The President thanked the Secretary General for his confident leadership of the alliance and announced his intention to consult and cooperate with allies on the entire spectrum of common security issues, including those related to Afghanistan, Iraq and Russia,” reads an official White House press release.

It is noted that Joe Biden also assured Stoltenberg of the US commitment to the principle of collective defense.

"The President reaffirmed the United States' commitment to collective defense in accordance with Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and stressed his commitment to strengthening transatlantic security," the message underlined.

Back to the roots

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the inauguration of the new US President is a positive moment for the North Atlantic Alliance.

“President Biden and his inauguration marked a new chapter for the alliance as Joe Biden is a strong NATO supporter.

He is very familiar with the work of NATO, "Stoltenberg told CNBC.

Stoltenberg also noted that confidence needs to be restored in US-European relations.

  • NATO exercises in Latvia

  • Reuters

  • © Ints Kalnins

“It is necessary to restore trust between Europe and the United States.

I don't believe in the concept of "America on its own".

I do not believe in the concept of "Europe in itself".

I believe in the joint efforts of North America and Europe, ”the Alliance Secretary General said in an interview.

Under Trump, U.S. relations with European NATO allies have been rocky, experts say.

One of the problematic issues was the amount of budget spending by the members of the alliance on defense.

During his presidency, Donald Trump has consistently criticized the alliance countries for the fact that they, in his opinion, allocate for these purposes less than the 2% of GDP prescribed by the rules of the alliance.

In addition, in 2019, he secured the approval of a new formula for the alliance budget, according to which the share of US contributions was reduced from 22% to 16%.

At the same time, the share of Germany was increased to 16%.

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, in his book, published in 2020, argued that the 45th US president was ready to withdraw the country from NATO because of the position of the countries - members of the Nord Stream 2 alliance.

In the summer of 2020, Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of 11.9 thousand troops from Germany, arguing that Berlin was slow to increase defense spending and, at the same time, spent money on the purchase of Russian energy resources.

Vladimir Batyuk, head of the Center for Political-Military Studies at the Institute for the United States and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that during his presidency, Trump raised the issue of Washington's disproportionate spending in the alliance, which will remain on the agenda in American-European relations under the new administration.

“I am sure this issue will persist under the Biden administration.

It can be expected that he, like his predecessor, will not back down from the demand for higher military spending by European states.

The new US administration will not demand, in a defiant, insulting tone, from NATO allies to spend 2% of GDP on the defense spending of the alliance, but this issue will remain in the relationship between the US and NATO, ”the expert said.

Old directions

In a statement by the NATO press service about the conversation between Stoltenberg and Biden, it was noted that they had discussed resolving issues related to a "more assertive Russia."

The secretary general of the alliance has already mentioned Russia in his interview with the American media on the occasion of Biden's inauguration.

"We are simultaneously faced with many challenges: the rise of China ... a change in the global balance of power, Russia's activation and its use of force against neighboring Ukraine and other parts of the world, as well as, of course, the constant threat of terrorist attacks," he noted on January 22 ...

  • NATO soldiers in Kabul, Afghanistan

  • Reuters

  • © Omar Sobhani

Recently, NATO has significantly increased its activity along the borders of Russia.

In December 2020, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, announced a multiple increase in the calls of NATO ships into the Black, Baltic and Barents Seas.

He also drew attention to the increase in US strategic aviation flights near the borders of Russia.

“Measures for the training of the alliance's troops, in which non-aligned countries are increasingly involved, are being carried out with a clearly expressed anti-Russian orientation.

There is an increase in provocative activities at the Russian borders, ”Valery Gerasimov said.

After the change of power in Washington, one can expect that the United States and NATO will increase their activity even more, says Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"It can be expected that cooperation between NATO and the United States under the Joe Biden administration will intensify, since the North Atlantic Alliance is an instrument of US foreign policy, with which they put pressure on all other countries, and also strengthen control over their allies," the political scientist said in an interview with RT ...

Given the political split within the United States, as well as friction between Western countries, Biden positions himself not just as the leader of the United States, but as the unifier of the West Atlantic world, explained Konstantin Blokhin.

"In this regard, he is going to neutralize Trump's steps, improve transatlantic relations, strengthen the world liberal order and generally adhere to the motto" one for all and all for one, "the expert emphasized.

Experts, in particular, note that Joe Biden may suspend the reduction of the American military contingent in Afghanistan so as not to lose a foothold in Central Asia, which is important for influencing China and Russia.

Also, according to analysts, the reduction of troops in Iraq is not built into the policy of the Democrats.

The policy of Washington and NATO to contain Russia and build up forces near its borders will also continue, Blokhin suggested.

“The US and NATO will jointly contain Russia.

This is spelled out in all Western analytical reports, where it is noted that the Russian Federation is a threat to the North Atlantic Alliance, accordingly, it is necessary to increase activity, conduct exercises near its borders, ”the expert concluded.