The US President Donald Trump welcomed Montenegro as the 29th NATO member in a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after their first face-to-face meeting at the White House on Wednesday.
Trump said he would work “closely” with NATO allies to adapt to the challenges of the future, “of which there would be many.”
“I welcome Montenegro as the 29th NATO member,” the US president said.
Stoltenberg said that a strong Russia and a strong NATO do not have to be at odds.
“We have to try to find ways to live with them, to avoid a new cold war and arms race,” the NATO secretary general said.
The US Republican Senator who serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, John McCain, met Montenegrin officials in Podgorica on Wednesday.
“I congratulate the citizens who decided along with their leaders that Montenegro should be a member of NATO. Having in mind the turmoil in the world, it is important to ensure stability. I am convinced that Russia’s behaviour in the region and in the world is not acceptable. Russia’s behaviour requires our solidarity and strength in order to preserve the basic principles and values of democracy,” he said.
He pointed out that Russia had tried to change the outcome of the elections in the United States and that there was evidence it was also trying to undermine the democratic process in other parts of the world.
