Americans believe US should protect NATO allies
Americans believe that the US should defend NATO allies in Europe (photo: Getty Images)
Most Americans have a positive attitude towards the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and believe that the US should continue to defend its allies in Europe, according to a YouGov website.
The results of a sociological study released on Friday showed that 60% of respondents support the US defending its NATO allies if they are attacked. Only 13% believe that the country should not fulfill this obligation, while 26% of respondents are unsure.
At the same time, 53% of Americans have a very or somewhat positive opinion of NATO, while 22% have a negative view of the Alliance. These figures have remained virtually unchanged since July 2023.
Article 5 of the Alliance's Statute states that an attack on any member should be considered an attack on all members. The survey showed that respondents most strongly support the UK (63%), followed by France (58%), Germany (55%), Poland (54%), Finland (54%), and Greece (52%).
Sweden, which has not yet joined NATO, received support from 58% of respondents.
Democratic supporters were more likely than others to say that the US should fulfill its commitments to support other NATO countries during conflicts. About 72% of Democrats agreed with this, while 53% of independent respondents and 56% of Republicans said the same.
Among Republicans who consider themselves supporters of MAGA (Make America Great Again), fewer are inclined to support the United States in supporting its NATO allies - it turned out to be 47%. Among Republicans who are not part of the MAGA group, supporters of assistance were 62%.
Older Americans and college graduates are more likely to support the US commitment to defending its NATO allies.
Additionally, the survey showed that 54% of Americans either completely or partially do not support Donald Trump's position on readiness to encourage attacks on NATO members who do not meet defense spending commitments. Only 23% approve of this approach. Republicans were sharply divided in their support, while the majority of Democrats do not approve of Trump's statements regarding the Alliance.
The survey was conducted from Sunday to Tuesday among 1562 adult Americans and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Pro-Russian rhetoric of Trump
On February 10, at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Donald Trump stated that if re-elected president, he would not defend NATO allies who do not meet their defense spending commitments. According to the Alliance's statute, members are required to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense. Trump added that, on the contrary, he would encourage the Kremlin to attack such states.
President Joe Biden criticized the Republican leader's statement, saying it was tantamount to bowing to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
In contrast, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Alliance countries would allocate record amounts for defense in 2024.
Additionally, if elected president, Trump promised to push for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
