The US is made safer through its friends and allies in Nato – a situation that does not benefit countries such as Russia and China, said former alliance head Jens Stoltenberg.
During an interview at the Semafor World Economy Summit in Washington, Mr Stoltenberg stressed the importance of Nato to the US and Europe.
“The United States is big, it’s 25 per cent of the global economy. But together with Nato allies, we are 50 per cent of the global economy and 50 per cent of the world’s military might,” he told the audience in Washington. “So it makes the United States safer to have friends and allies, something that Russia and China doesn’t have at all.”
Mr Stoltenberg, who is now Norway's Minister of Finance, also pointed to his country's role in tracking Russian nuclear assets. “We track the submarines and help with homeland defence," he said. "Just the fact that we have a Norwegian presence so close to those nuclear capabilities, that makes you safer. So Nato is good for the United States.”
He expects the alliance to hold despite “severe problems and challenges” posed by the war with Iran. He stressed that Washington’s criticism is not aimed at Nato, but at how the burden is shared.
“We have been able to overcome disagreements before and I really hope and believe that we can do that again,” Mr Stoltenberg added.
“The main criticism from the United States and from President [Donald] Trump has not been against Nato. It has been against Nato allies not investing enough in Nato. And that has changed. European allies have really stepped up,” he added.
The former Nato chief dismissed claims the alliance has not done enough and referred to major defence spending in Poland, the Baltic countries and Norway. “We are spending a larger share of GDP on defence than the United States. So things have changed and continue to move in the right direction,” he said.
Mr Trump has put pressure on Nato allies recently, demanding they commit warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “There is no way to hide that … there are some serious disagreements between allies and particularly between some European allies and the United States,” he said.
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte briefed member states last week that Mr Trump “wants concrete commitments within the next few days for help securing" the strait.
Mr Stoltenberg acknowledged the friction in the alliance, but said consultation was key. “If you want Nato to contribute, then at least you have to sit down with Nato allies, as you did after 9/11,” he said. “You cannot expect us just to be there without any consultations, any discussions in Nato before you take the decision to launch the attack.”
The economic fallout is already measurable across the economies of Nato members. The International Monetary Fund this week cut its 2026 global growth target to 3.1 per cent owing to the Iran war and warned that growth could drop to 2 per cent if energy disruptions persist.
Eurozone growth is believed to slow to 1.1 per cent in 2026 from 1.4 per cent in 2025, with inflation jumping to 2.6 per cent. Britain faces the sharpest downgrade of the G7 states, with 2026 growth cut to 0.8 per cent from 1.3 per cent. Inflation in the UK is projected to average at 3.2 per cent and head towards 4 per cent.
Germany’s leading institutes slashed 2026 growth to 0.6 per cent from 1.3 per cent and raised inflation forecasts to 2.8 per cent. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs estimates that oil prices of $100 per barrel could slow global growth by 0.4 percentage points and add 0.7 percentage points to global headline inflation.
Despite the friction, Mr Stoltenberg said the alliance had survived past crises and stressed that its core deterrent holds. “The purpose of Nato is to prevent the war by sending a clear message to any potential adversary that an attack on one will trigger a response from all," he added. "And as long as that is credible, there will be no attack.”
