Will NATO 'Remain United' Regardless Of US Election Results? What Alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte Said

With approximately 12 hours left for the United States 2024 election to commence, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte in Berlin said, "NATO will stay united no matter who wins the US election." "Whoever wins those elections, we will work with Kamala Harris, we will work with Donald Trump, and make sure that the alliance stays united," Rutte said alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.Rutte further said that he had "no dount" that whoever wins the election would continue to support NATO because it is "in the interest of the United States."This comes as Western allies fear turbulent times ahead for the defence alliance formed at the start of the Cold War if Donald Trump wins Tuesday's knife-edge election. Notably, the defence alliance took a hit under Donald Trump's 2017-2021 presidency as he berated allied for what he said "was insufficient spending," AFP reported. Earlier in February, Trump warned that he could encourage the Russians to do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO allies that do not pay more on joint defence. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris has frequently pointed to Trump's remarks as she has promised, like President Joe Biden, to work with allies and stand by NATO. Rutte, according to AFO, said reports of North Korean troops in Russia meant it was important to do "everything we can to keep not only the Euro-Atlantic but also the Indo-Pacific safe"."This motivates us to step up to do even more," he said, labelling support by Pyongyang a "very serious development and an escalation".