Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg published his memoirs covering the alliance’s leadership from 2014 to 2024 and revealing meetings with Donald Trump that put NATO at risk of breaking apart. An excerpt of the book with the Ukrainian translation “Under My Watch: NATO Leadership During War” reveals the stages of interaction with the new American president and the impact of these contacts on the transatlantic partnership.

In the book, he recalls the first meetings with Donald Trump after his election and how close NATO came to losing general trust due to the sharp remarks of the American leader, who during the campaign described the Alliance as obsolete.

Key Moments of Stoltenberg’s Meetings with Trump

NATO is obsolete.

– Donald Trump

In his notes, Stoltenberg notes: 2016 promised a Hillary Clinton victory, but after Trump’s victory there was anxiety – the candidate harshly criticized NATO, expressing the view that costs and the role of partners in defense needed to be reconsidered.

I was worried about what would happen next, because I noticed how critically Trump spoke about NATO during his campaign. The American people elected Trump, and we had to respect that. I wanted NATO to establish good working relations with him as quickly as possible so that he and his administration would start to view the alliance more positively.

– Jens Stoltenberg

It is also emphasized that amid rising doubts, Stoltenberg ordered avoiding any jokes about Trump in the headquarters environment to not undermine cooperation among allies.

No eye-rolling at Trump’s tweets or his public appearances, no mocking of videos, no jokes about golf or his manners. Zero tolerance. Even if only a few people start joking, it could quickly spread across the organization and come out. And if Washington learns that people in the NATO office sit and laugh at Trump – that would be a disaster

– Jens Stoltenberg

On November 18, 2016, Stoltenberg had his first phone call with Trump, which left him with a positive impression – at the start the American leader supported NATO, but at the same time demanded a reduction of allies’ spending.

If we go, we go. You need NATO. We do not need NATO

– Donald Trump

At the first meeting at the White House in April 2017, Trump stated that only five member states spend at least 2% of GDP on defense – and Iceland, which has no own armed forces, was in focus.

Then what do we want from Iceland?

– Donald Trump

In the following sections, Stoltenberg describes the threat of a NATO split under pressure over funding: during one of the 2017 Brussels summits, leaders again discussed a fair distribution of costs so that each country would bear responsibility for defense in proportion to its means.

The United States does not need NATO. Why should I keep paying for an organization I do not need?

– Donald Trump

After a series of discussions, summit participants concluded that spending should rise to 2% of GDP by 2024, while emphasizing that the distribution of financial burden should be fair so as not to overburden individual countries, notably Denmark, whose population is about five million.

We’re talking about blood and sacrifice. Denmark’s population is only five million people, and we have lost 45 soldiers in Afghanistan in response to the attack on the United States

– Lars Lokke Rasmussen

Stoltenberg emphasizes that pressure to balance spending could drive a serious split, yet thanks to the leaders’ joint efforts and support for the alliance’s core principles, NATO remained united during the most challenging periods.

Now everything will fall apart

– Jens Stoltenberg

Following the summit, Trump reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to NATO unity, and Stoltenberg noted that the allies demonstrated willingness to increase defense spending. He remarked that the summit’s achievements could have resolved the threat of collapse, but a clear strategy and a unified stance by the leaders were required.

Thanks to Trump’s leadership and clear messaging, NATO allies significantly increased defense spending, and all alliance members remain committed to Article 5

– Jens Stoltenberg

In the memoir’s conclusion, Stoltenberg summarizes: despite crisis moments and misunderstandings by the U.S. administration, NATO stood firm as a reliable European-Atlantic guarantor of security and collective defense, enshrined in Article 5 of the treaty. From his perspective, the lessons of meetings with Trump changed approaches to strategic communication and mutual trust among member countries.