Heather Nauert: U.S. does not want weakening of NATO

Washington does not want to see the weakening of the NATO amid European calls for an independent military, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

"Whatever should be done should not take away from NATO’s efforts. We would not want the weakening of NATO," she stressed.

Her comments echoed French President Emmanuel Macron’s words last week. "I want to build a real security dialogue with Russia, which is a country I respect, a European country, but we must have a Europe that can defend itself on its own without relying only on the United States,” the French president said, according to the BBC.

Nauert added that US top diplomat Mike Pompeo met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian over the weekend to discussed US-French cooperation on global security challenges and strengthening NATO.