NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg delivered an unprecedented address to US Congress on Wednesday to condemn the idea of an arms race with Russia.
He also seemed to praise US President Donald Trump for pushing allies to spend their fair share on defense. But he criticized Trump's policy in Afghanistan.
Stoltenberg was in Washington to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of NATO, whose charter was signed in the US capital.
A day after Trump called the war in Afghanistan "ridiculous," amidst peace talks with the Taliban, Stoltenberg reminded US lawmakers of the "cruelty" of the regime and its role in protecting terrorists who planned the September 11th attacks.
Perhaps alluding to how the US pulled out of the war in Syria without discussing the move with allies, the former Norwegian prime minister said that NATO had entered Afghanistan together, and that it would "leave together" when the time came.
'Allies must spend more on defense'
Stoltenberg also took the opportunity to highlight how Trump has repeatedly taken other NATO members, especially Germany, to task for not spending the agreed 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense.
He said that unfortunately, today's world sometimes requires a military solution: "Dialogue would not have stopped ISIS," he said in reference to the terror group in Syria. Allies were increasing their defense budgets after years of cuts, he noted.
"Allies must spend more on defense. This has been the clear message from President Trump. And this message is having a real impact," Stoltenberg said.
This comment received a strong round of applause. Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the uptick, despite the fact that NATO allies have been increasing their defense spending since 2014.
'We do not want a new Cold War'
The NATO leader then turned his comments to Russia, often seen as the alliance's principal political foe.
"We do not want a new arms race. We do not want a new Cold War. But we must not be naive," said Stoltenberg, adding that NATO recognized the threat posed by a resurgent Moscow as both the US and Russia pull out of a nuclear nonproliferation treaty.
"We do not want to isolate Russia. We strive for a better relationship with Russia."
Despite Trump's repeated criticism of NATO, the president and Stoltenberg appear to have enjoyed a cordial visit in the White House ahead of the address.
"We've worked together on getting some of our allies to pay their fair share," Trump said after their talks.
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