BERLIN, April 5. /TASS/. The idea of forming a unified European army is not on the table as the alliance meets Europe's security needs, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenber told Bild.

"We have NATO, and NATO is the cornerstone of European security. NATO has protected all European allies for 75 years. <…> I don't believe in North America alone or Europe alone, I believe in them together," Stoltenberg said when asked about the idea of a combined European army.

"The EU has NATO. The European NATO allies have NATO. <…> NATO is the organization that guarantees the security of European NATO allies," he said, stressing that there was no need for the EU to have its own army.

The idea of a combined European army has been around for at least a decade. It came to the forefront during the presidency of Donald Trump, who made it clear that his country was no longer willing to provide a "defense umbrella" for Europe within NATO. In November, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that the EU would have a 5,000-strong rapid reaction force fully operational by 2025.