US, British commanders show unity after Trump uncertainties

By Elizabeth Piper

FAIRFORD, England (Reuters) - U.S. and British commanders said on Tuesday joint military exercises were vital for providing Europe with a deterrent to Russia, a show of unity after President Donald Trump's overtures to Moscow raised doubt about Washington's commitment to NATO.

Air Marshall Johnny Stringer, the British officer serving as NATO's deputy air commander, and U.S. Eighth Air Force Commander Major General Jason Armagost joined forces to praise the Bomber Task Force which had completed nine missions in Europe since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Both were keen to leave "politics to politicians" when asked about uncertainty of future U.S. cooperation with NATO under Trump, but were clear they both believed the cooperation between the United States and Europe only strengthened security.

"What I think what you are seeing here is testament to 75 years of the world's most successful alliance," Stringer said in front of a U.S. B-52H bomber at an airfield in southwestern England where most of the missions had started.

"Like all alliances and all relationships over time they have their kind of their ups and their downs but I think a NATO that ... is practising complex but essential deterrence missions across Europe kind of tells its story here on how serious and resolute we are as an alliance."

Trump has often cast doubt over U.S. support for NATO allies regularly complaining about members who spend too little on defence, and so far refusing requests from European allies to provide a "backstop" should they send peacekeepers to Ukraine.

The two commanders said so far there was no prospect of joint military exercises ending soon.

"We plan together, we fly together, we integrate," said Armagost. "The speed with which we can come together and plan and demonstrate capability I think is a very strong thing regardless of the geopolitics ... the strength of that routine operation speaks for itself."

Stringer said there was "a standing plan" to keep missions going in what he described as "vital messaging" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "And as I said they are essential for our own training and to make sure we are, heaven forbid, ready to go (to war) if necessary."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Peter Graff)