Finnish president says US won't leave NATO despite recent tensions

Investing.com -- The United States will maintain its presence in NATO due to strategic interests in Europe, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Friday at the Lithuania-Finland Business Forum in Vilnius.

Stubb said the US gains proximity to address what he described as its primary security concern: Russian nuclear weapons. He noted that the majority of these weapons are located in the Kola peninsula and Murmansk, approximately 100 kilometers from Finland's border.

"They are pointed at New York, Washington DC, and LA," Stubb said.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda spoke at the same conference, calling for unity among NATO members. He described NATO as the best military-based organization in centuries.

Stubb said there is a gap between political statements and actual policy.

"The United States is not going to leave the alliance," he said. "America needs Europe."

The remarks follow the reported US decision to cancel plans to deploy approximately 4,000 army soldiers to Poland. President Donald Trump said he would withdraw at least 5,000 troops from Germany and suggested a broader reduction of America's 85,000 military personnel in Europe.

Trump has criticized European NATO members over military spending levels and more recently for their stance on his attack on Iran.

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