Rabia İclal Turan
01 April 2026•Update: 01 April 2026
WASHINGTON
Sen. Mark Warner warned Wednesday that withdrawing the US from NATO would weaken American security and embolden adversaries like Russia and China after President Donald Trump signaled he is considering the move.
“What the president is proposing would shatter decades of bipartisan American leadership, undermine our credibility with allies, and embolden adversaries like Russia and China who would welcome nothing more than a fractured transatlantic alliance,” the Democrat from Virginia said in a statement.
“For more than seventy years, NATO has been the cornerstone of American national security,” said Warner, calling the alliance “the most successful military alliance in modern history.”
He described Trump’s threat to leave NATO as “reckless” and “dangerous,” warning it would “play directly into the hands of our adversaries.”
Warner also rejected claims that the alliance is one-sided, noting NATO was invoked after the Sept. 11 attacks, when allies supported Washington and deployed troops to Afghanistan.
“To now suggest that this alliance is a one-way street is not only wrong – it’s an insult to those sacrifices,” he said.
His remarks came after Trump criticized NATO allies for refusing to support the US-Israeli war against Iran, and threatened to withdraw from the alliance.
In an interview with The Telegraph newspaper, Trump called NATO a “paper tiger” and said leaving is “beyond reconsideration.”
The dispute comes as many NATO members have declined to join efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil route disrupted by the US-Israeli war against Iran, while urging de-escalation.
