WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, spoke today with Andelka Rogac, Montenegro’s Chargé d’Affaires in the United States, after President Trump insulted the European country and new NATO member in a television interview last week. Representative Engel expressed his regret over the President’s behavior and reiterated Congress’s support for NATO, particularly Article 5’s guarantee that an attack on one is an attack on all. He also expressed his support for Montenegro’s membership in NATO and his gratitude for Montenegro’s contributions to the alliance, especially its recent pledge to send more troops to Afghanistan. Rep. Engel shared his understanding of Montenegro’s tensions with Russia, including the attempt by Russian nationalists to kill Montenegro’s Prime Minister in 2016. Rep. Engel and the Chargé exchanged views on Russia’s ongoing aggression and opposition to NATO. And Rep. Engel stated his belief that the President’s rhetoric, including referring to NATO allies as “aggressive,” plays into Putin’s hands.

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