Source: BBC
As the presumed Republican nominee for the White House in 2024, Donald Trump is running for a second term. He has declared that he would “encourage” Russia to attack any of the US's NATO allies who he believes have not fulfilled their financial obligations. The comments were deemed "appalling and unhinged" by the White House. Trump stated so on Saturday at a Conway, South Carolina, campaign rally.
Speaking to the fans at the South Carolina event, Trump claimed to have made his remarks on Russia at a NATO leaders' summit during which he said to one of the heads of the states that the US, under his leadership, would not defend any countries who were “delinquent”.
“One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘Well, sir, if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?’” said Trump. He added, “I said, ‘you didn’t pay, you’re delinquent?’”
“No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.”
"Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged – and it endangers American national security, global stability, and our economy at home," said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates in response to a question regarding Trump's remarks.
The front-runner for the Republican nomination in this year's US presidential election, Trump, has long criticized NATO and what he views as an excessive financial burden on the US to ensure the defense of thirty other countries.
After Trump departed office in 2022, Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine ever since he has been complaining about the quantity of US funds transferred to Ukraine—a country not part of NATO.
Given that worries about Russia have grown significantly in the wake of its war against Ukraine, Trump's remarks imply that should he win the presidency again, he could damage the foundational principle of NATO- that of mutual defense. A new round of aid to Kyiv would be vital in the war, and the former president has recently pressured Congress to reject it.
In response to these quotes, the Polish Defence Minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, said in a post on X, "NATO's motto 'one for all, all for one' is a concrete commitment. Undermining the credibility of allied countries means weakening the entire NATO.”
"No election campaign is an excuse for playing with the security of the Alliance."
In public opinion polls, Trump has been outperforming Biden, the former president who won the 2020 election. He is facing more than ninety-nine criminal counts, however, to which he has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
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