"The biggest and most important question for Europe is whether the United States is ready to be as loyal as described in our treaties," Tusk told the FT, in what the newspaper called a remarkable statement reflecting growing European unease over President Donald Trump's wavering commitment to the continent's defense.
Tusk said he wanted to believe Article 5—NATO's mutual defense clause—still held, but that he sometimes had "certain problems" with that.
He stressed his words should not be read as skepticism about Article 5 itself, but as a desire to see paper guarantees translate into "something very practical."
He cited an incident in September last year when roughly 20 Russian drones violated Polish airspace, saying he struggled to convince NATO partners it was "a well-planned and prepared provocation against Poland" rather than an accident.
"Some of our colleagues found it much easier to pretend nothing had happened," he said.
Tusk called on the EU to strengthen its own mutual defense clause under Article 42.7 of the EU treaty and described European reintegration around common defense as his "obsession and mission."
"If you want a real alliance, not just on paper, you need real tools and real strength," he said.
The FT reported that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's recent election defeat removed a key obstacle to EU discussions on Article 42.7 and a stronger European defense role.
Poland already spends nearly 5 percent of GDP on defense, the highest percentage in the alliance.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP