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NATO Allies Watch US Election Amid Strained Transatlantic Ties

Henry Ridgwell

   LONDON - America's allies in Europe are watching closely as the U.S.
   presidential election enters its final leg.

   Transatlantic relations have at times been strained since U.S.
   President Donald Trump took office, and analysts say some European
   capitals hope for a return to more stability under a Joe Biden
   presidency.

   Other European NATO allies have welcomed Trump's demands for Europe to
   pull its weight and meet military spending targets, as the continent
   faces several strategic challenges on its borders.

   Shortly after his 2016 election victory, Trump called NATO "obsolete,"
   because he said the organization "wasn't taking care of terror." That
   alarmed NATO allies shaken by Russia's 2014 forceful annexation of
   Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine.

   Different tone

   By 2017, Trump's tone had changed. Hosting NATO Secretary-General Jens
   Stoltenberg at the White House in April of that year, Trump reaffirmed
   his support for the alliance.

   "The secretary-general and I had a productive discussion about what
   more NATO can do in the fight against terrorism. I complained about
   that a long time ago, and they made a change. And now, they do fight
   terrorism. I said it was obsolete. It's no longer obsolete," Trump told
   reporters.

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