NATO's chief on Wednesday told US conservatives that the alliance was a "good deal" for the United States and created jobs, as likely presidential candidate Donald Trump fuels doubts about assisting Ukraine, APA reports citing The Barron's.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was visiting Washington where he met Republican lawmakers as an impasse in Congress holds up new US aid to Ukraine, which President Joe Biden argues is critical to combatting Russia's nearly two-year-old invasion.
Speaking at the conservative Heritage Foundation, Stoltenberg made an economic argument, saying that US arms manufacturers have exported $120 billion to European allies and Canada over the past two years.
"What you produce keeps people safe. What allies buy keeps American business strong. So NATO is a good deal for the United States," the alliance chief said.
He said that only a "small fraction" of US annual military spending had destroyed "a substantial part of Russia's combat capacity."
"Supporting Ukraine is not a charity. It is an investment in our own security," he said.
"Ukraine must prevail. And it can -- but it needs our continued help."