Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has urged European leaders to step up their defense spending commitments to keep the transatlantic alliance strong in the face of threats, and to support President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg, who led NATO from 2014 to 2024, wrote in a Saturday op-ed in The Financial Times that European nations have a crucial role to play in maintaining the integrity of the transatlantic defense pact, particularly in light of Trump’s renewed calls for burden-sharing within the alliance.

“Trump felt that the U.S. was getting a bad deal. He believed allies weren’t pulling their weight and initially viewed the alliance as a burden rather than an asset,” Stoltenberg wrote, adding that Trump had a point. “Europe had indeed allowed its forces to atrophy, and several nations had become dangerously reliant on Russian gas. These oversights would later cost Europeans dearly.”

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Reflecting on NATO’s evolution during Trump’s first presidency, Stoltenberg noted that the working relationship among NATO allies was “good and reliable” under the 45th U.S. president, despite initial tensions. He added that the alliance emerged stronger, with increased defense spending and enhanced capabilities.