Montenegrins puzzled by attention from Trump

PODGORICA, Montenegro — World War III? Not us, say the puzzled people of Montenegro.

Public officials in this tiny European nation didn’t know what to say initially when President Donald Trump suggested that NATO’S newest and smallest member, which has a military with fewer than 2,000 members, could be the spark that sets off a global Armageddon.

That the leader of the world’s dominant superpower would characterize the 620,000 or so Montenegrins as “very strong” and “very aggressive people” rendered their government speechless. It found its voice Thursday, and what came out was less a battle cry than a chorus of “Kumbaya.”

“We build friendships, and we have not lost a single one,” read a statement issued in the capital, Podgorica, in response to the media’s clamoring for comment.

Living in a region that has seen more than its share of volatile conflicts, Montenegrins say they are much more interested in tourism than war.

Trump ventured his thoughts on Montenegro during an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson conducted Monday after the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. They were discussing NATO’S mutual defense pact.

If Montenegro, for example, were provoked, having NATO behind it could embolden “a tiny country with very strong people” to engage, the president said.

“They are very strong people. They are very aggressive people, they may get aggressive, and congratulations, you are in World War III,” he added.