Brexit has made NATO stronger: Military chief says Europe is UNITED against Russia
BRITAIN'S vote to leave the European Union has made the NATO military alliance even more united, its secretary-general admitted as he landed a thinly-veiled blow on the prospect of an EU army.
Jens Stoltenberg meets with Theresa May during his two-day visit to the UK
Speaking in Oxford after a two-day visit to the UK, Jens Stoltenberg said the Brexit referendum may well have strengthened the alliance at a time of heightened tensions with Russia.
EU foreign policy chiefs backed by France and Germany are pushing ahead with plans for a coordinated European defence force despite objections from the UK that it would lead to duplications with NATO.
Questioned on the impact of the vote to sever ties with Brussels - where NATO is also headquartered - he said: "Brexit has not made NATO less united; if anything, it has done the opposite."
Mr Stoltenberg said that Brexit had actually strengthened the military alliance
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His comments are likely to be interpreted as a veiled criticism of the plans for an EU army.
Brexit has not made NATO less united
Yesterday, during talks with the prime minister in London, Mr Stoltenberg and Theresa May discussed the prospect of an EU army.
A Downing Street spokesman later confirmed both leaders had "agreed that any EU defence proposals should be about strengthening structures within Nato rather than duplicating existing structures".
During the referendum campaign in June, the NATO secretary-general intervened to say he believed a "strong UK in a strong Europe is good for the UK and it’s good for Nato".
Jens Stoltenberg has taken a swipe at the idea of an EU army