Willy Claes Voices Concerns Over Trump’s NATO Impact and Need for European Autonomy

In 1994, Willy Claes from Belgium became the Secretary General of NATO when Bill Clinton was President of the USA. The Cold War had just ended, and many in Europe felt safe under American protection. But now, over 30 years later, Claes is feeling worried about the change in attitudes, especially with Donald Trump in office. “I really don’t understand why they’re against Europeans and supporting Russia instead of their long-time friends. It makes me feel sick,” said Claes, who is now 86 years old.

Claes was Secretary General for only 13 months—making him the shortest in history—before he had to resign because of a corruption scandal. However, his time was crucial as NATO was trying to figure out what role it should play after the Soviet Union fell, and it had to conduct its first military mission in the Balkans.

Now, NATO is at another critical point. Claes is eagerly waiting for NATO’s meeting in The Hague in June to see if Trump will uphold America’s promises to its allies. “We need to see if the USA will stick to its commitments. If not, it will hurt us Europeans,” Claes expressed.

With the number of NATO member countries increasing from 16 to 32, reaching agreements has become much tougher. Claes points out that some countries, like Hungary, are more interested in talking with Russia, which complicates things.

He commented on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying Russia used NATO’s expansion as an excuse for its actions—something the West disagrees with. Claes believes former President George Bush made a mistake in 2008 by suggesting that Ukraine and Georgia could join NATO, upsetting Putin and leading to future conflicts.

Another mistake happened in 2013 when President Obama didn’t act against Syria after the use of chemical weapons. Claes thinks that Obama showed weakness, which encouraged Russia.

For now, Claes doesn’t believe Russia will attack a NATO country because its military is weakened from the conflict in Ukraine. But he is worried about nuclear weapons, stating, “We need to start talking about controlling and getting rid of these weapons. Everyone’s safety is at risk.”