EU defense initiatives cannot replace NATO, the Secretary General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg stated in an interview with Postimees newspaper,TASS reported.

“The EU cannot replace NATO. European unity cannot be replaced by transatlantic unity. Especially after Brexit, when 80% of NATO defense spending comes from non-EU allies, ” he noted.

Stoltenberg added that three of the four NATO battalions stationed in the Baltic countries are headed by countries that are either not part of the EU (US or Canada), or will soon come out of it (the United Kingdom).