US reaffirms Nato defence for eastern states

RIGA: US Vice-President Joe Biden on Tuesday reaffirmed his country’s commitment to Nato defence of the EU’s eastern member states during high-level talks in Latvia.

“There is continued, overwhelming, bipartisan agreement in the US in both political parties, to maintain our commitment to Nato,” Biden told reporters after a meeting with the leaders of the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

“We are absolutely, thoroughly, 100 per cent committed to our Nato obligations, including and especially Article 5,” Biden said,referring to the agreement that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members. “The fact that you occasionally hear something from a presidential candidate of the other party, it should not be taken seriously,” Biden, a Democrat, said, referring to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has made overtures to Russia. “I think he does not even understand what Article 5 is,” Biden added. The Baltic states are the closest Nato members to Russia and have been fearful of a potential Russian invasion since their former Soviet ruler annexed Ukraine’s southern Crimea region two years ago. — Reuters