Czech president: Trump has harmed NATO more than Putin has

Czech President Petr Pavel has criticised recent remarks by US President Donald Trump about NATO, saying they have damaged the Alliance's credibility more than Russian leader Vladimir Putin's actions have over many years.

"Over the past few weeks, Trump has done more to reduce NATO's credibility than Vladimir Putin has managed over many years," Pavel said, as quoted by Czech news website Seznam Zprávy.

Pavel also stressed that NATO is based on the principles of deterrence and collective defence. "At the moment when we begin to question the Alliance as a single, cohesive entity ready to act jointly and decisively, its role is naturally diminished," he warned.

The Czech president noted that Trump's criticism does not take into account the fact that NATO is a defensive alliance and "not an alliance that will automatically provide assistance in wars fought outside its territory".

He added that European allies "were not informed from the outset about the objectives and operations, and in fact no one even asked them for cooperation".

"Only when the war began to develop, perhaps in an unexpected direction, did Donald Trump say that European allies should ensure safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and when he did not receive a positive response, he considered this a disappointment for the whole of NATO," Pavel said, calling this "unfair".

Last week, Trump said in an interview with The Telegraph that he is seriously considering the possibility of the US withdrawing from NATO.

Earlier, the US president also said his country could abandon its pledge to defend NATO allies if they come under attack.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House is considering a plan to punish certain NATO members that, in Trump's view, did not assist the US and Israel during the war with Iran.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he understands Trump's frustration with the Alliance.