"I am convinced and certain that our relationship and…the American relationship with NATO, will remain the same," McCain stated as quoted by the Washington Examiner.
McCain, who is visiting Estonia as part of a three-day trip to the Baltics together with US Senator Lindsey Graham, also claimed there would be a strong response if Russia interfered in the region.
"And the best way to prevent Russian misbehavior by having a credible, strong military and a strong NATO alliance," McCain said.
Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump called into question the viability of NATO, the disproportionate US financial contribution to the alliance and Washington’s pledge to defend NATO’s members as per Article 5 of the Washington Treaty that established the alliance in 1949.
Russian officials have repeatedly refuted any claims of aggression. Moreover, Moscow has warned that amassing military equipment and troops on Russia’s borders constitute aggressive acts in violation of previous pledges about non-expansion of NATO, and can destabilize the region and the world.
McCain and Graham will travel Latvia on Wednesday and to Lithuania on Thursday as part of their trip to the Baltic states.
