NATO calls for not taking any steps to “separate Europe from North America”

(CNN) — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance should not take any steps to “separate Europe from North America.”

Stoltenberg made the comments to reporters ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

He added, “We should not follow any path that attempts to separate Europe from North America. The advantage is that Europe and North America are together in NATO.”

He added, “I welcome the fact that European allies are investing more in defense and that NATO has been demanding this for many years.”

Stoltenberg's comments come just days after former US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever it wants” with any NATO member state that does not meet spending guidelines.

“NATO was dismantled until I came along,” Trump said at a rally in Conway, South Carolina. “I said: ‘Everyone will pay.’ They said: ‘Well, if we don’t pay, will they still protect us?’ I said: ‘Absolutely not.’ They couldn’t believe the answer.”

US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that Trump “is making clear that he will abandon our NATO allies.”

Regarding US support for Ukraine, Stoltenberg said he hopes the US Congress will approve “a package of continued support for Ukraine.”

“I am counting on Congress to be able to show support for Ukraine and reach an agreement on an aid package,” he said, adding that supporting Ukraine is “an investment in our security.”