US Remains 'your Greatest Ally', Pence Tells Europe

MUNICH, Germany, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Feb, 2017 ) - US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday pledged an "unwavering" commitment to transatlantic ties, aiming to reassure allies including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who pleaded with nations not to go it alone.

Capping a week of whirlwind diplomacy by American officials who have descended on Europe to calm nerves rattled by President Donald Trump, Pence underlined the United States' loyalty to its old friends.

"The United States is and will always be your greatest ally. Be assured that President Trump and our people are truly devoted to our transatlantic union," he told European leaders at the Munich Security Conference.

But he also reiterated a call for Europe's NATO allies to step up defence spending to reach the two percent of gross domestic product target agreed by the alliance. "The promise to share the burden of our defence has gone unfulfilled for too many for too long, and it erodes the very foundation of our alliance," he warned, adding that "the time has come to do more".

At the same time, he did not go further and threaten, as Trump had done, to walk away from the alliance if fellow members failed to meet the target.