TALLINN, Estonia _ President Donald Trump has erased doubts about his commitment to NATO and is keeping his predecessors' promises to protect the U.S.'s allies in Europe, according to Estonia's prime minister.
Trump's backing for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's mutual-defense pledge is "clear" and "not worth debating anymore," Juri Ratas, 39, said in an interview. The U.S. leader's "more forceful" tone on insufficient defense spending by partner nations is "understandable" and has tightened cooperation within the European Union, he said.
"I certainly haven't said and also won't say today that the U.S. president has done wrong on one thing or the other," Ratas said in Tallinn, the capital. "Trump has clearly said the U.S. is fully committed to NATO, that the U.S. and NATO must fight terrorism, and that he sees a threat from Russia."
Having previously called NATO "obsolete," Trump used a trip to Europe last week to offer explicit support for the collective-defense component of NATO's charter. That's important for Estonia, a Baltic nation of 1.3 million people that borders Russia and _ like other ex-communist parts of Europe _ was spooked by President Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea. Defense Minister Juri Luik revealed separately that the nation wants to bolster its anti-aircraft capabilities.
Ratas, whose ruling Center Party relies on support from Estonia's ethnic Russian minority, has faced internal opposition over issues including increasing the presence of NATO troops and granting more rights to Russian speakers. The nation is one of just five NATO members whose defense spending meets the alliance's target of 2 percent of gross domestic product.
