DNC CONVENTION | Ryan defends NATO, US role in free trade pacts

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan is vigorously defending the role of NATO and the United States's role leading free-trade agreements. That's a break from positions taken by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Ryan called NATO an "indispensable ally" during a luncheon today hosted by the political website Wispolitics.com. Trump caused alarms last week when he suggested the United States might abandon its NATO military commitments if he were elected president.

But Ryan says he believes NATO "is as important now as I would say it is in my lifetime."

Ryan also says he also believes healthy trade helps to combat terrorism, and he wants the U.S. to lead in entering free trade agreements.

Trump has made his opposition to trade agreements the centerpiece of his economic argument.