Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Ben Hodges warned that a potential U.S. withdrawal from NATO would be a serious mistake and a “gift for the Kremlin.”
Speaking in an interview with DW Washington Bureau Chief Ines Pohl, Hodges emphasized the importance of Europe for U.S. economic and military interests.
“It’s in the economic interests of the United States that Europe is prosperous, which means it has to be stable and secure,” he said.
Hodges also said he was confident senior military officials were warning the president that leaving NATO would ultimately hurt the United States itself.
He described such a move as a “gift for the Kremlin” and stressed that the U.S. benefits significantly from military bases and ports across Europe.
“They’re not there guarding Germans or Italians, it’s for us,” Hodges added.
The retired general argued that continued cooperation with European allies remains in the strategic interests of the United States.
