NATO's Stoltenberg warns Europe against going it alone on defence

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has warned Europe against trying to go it alone on defence after comments by Donald Trump prompted fresh debate over whether the continent can continue to rely on protection from the United States.

"The European Union cannot defend Europe. Eighty percent of NATO's defence expenditures come from non-EU NATO allies," Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

Stoltenberg said it was clear that Europe's security depended not just on Europe itself but on other NATO members.

"If you just look at the map, it's obvious that all these countries, non-EU allies, are vital for the protection of Europe," he said.

He added that "any attempt to de-link Europe from North America will also divide Europe". Many European nations, particularly in Eastern Europe, see the U.S. as their primary security guarantor and would oppose any move to change that.

Trump under criticism

Trump, the US ex-president and frontrunner to be the Republican nominee in this year's presidential election, sparked sharp criticism from Western leaders after saying he had told NATO members the US would not defend those who failed to spend enough on defence and would even encourage Russia to attack them.

Many European politicians said Trump's comments were a wake-up call and should act as a spur for Europe to do more to be able to defend itself.

Stoltenberg said European NATO members had to do more to build up defence capabilities and were doing so. But he said this should happen within a transatlantic framework.