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Donald Trump, who ruled in the White House from 2017 to 2021, repeatedly threatened to withdraw the USA from NATO.
© Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/dpa
Donald Trump reveals a willingness to give up defending allies - and even encourage Moscow to act aggressively.
The NATO Secretary General reacts unusually clearly.
Washington/Conway/Brussels - Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump says he would not grant protection from Russia to NATO partners who do not meet their financial obligations.
The former US President made this clear at a campaign event in the US state of South Carolina.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg then warned: “Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines our overall security, including that of the United States, and increases the risk to American and European soldiers.”
Ex-President Trump said during the appearance that the “president of a great country” had once asked him whether the USA would still protect this country from Russia even if it did not pay for defense spending.
He replied: “No, I wouldn’t protect you.”
What’s more, he would “even encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want.”
It was unclear whether such a conversation had ever taken place between Trump and a head of state, as the Republican also said: "Let's assume that happened."
Reaction from the White House
US President Joe Biden's White House reacted immediately.
“Encouraging attacks by a murderous regime on our closest allies is outrageous and completely insane,” spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement Saturday.
“It endangers America’s national security, global stability and our domestic economy.”
EU Council President Charles Michel criticized that “reckless statements” about NATO security only served the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Criticism also came from Poland, which is one of the closest US allies in Europe and is currently investing an above-average amount in its own armaments.
Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized: “No election campaign should be an excuse to play with the security of the alliance.” The NATO principle “One for all, all for one” is “a concrete obligation.”
In Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO partners have committed themselves to providing assistance in the event of an armed attack against one or more of them.
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Stoltenberg: No threat to NATO from US election
Stoltenberg expressed the expectation that, regardless of who wins the presidential election, the United States “will remain a strong and committed NATO ally.”
He also assured that NATO is ready and able to defend all allies.
“Any attack on NATO will be met with a united and forceful response.”
During a recent visit to Washington, the NATO Secretary General countered fears that the outcome of the US presidential election could endanger the future of NATO.
Stoltenberg told the US broadcaster CNN at the end of January that he had worked with Trump for four years and listened to him carefully.
Trump's main criticism, that the allies are spending too little on NATO, has been received.
They have significantly increased their defense spending in recent years.
Trump, who ruled in the White House from 2017 to 2021, repeatedly threatened to withdraw the United States from the defense alliance.
As the Washington Post reported, he already mentioned a meeting at an event in 2022 in which he told NATO partners that he would not stick to the alliance's defense commitment if the countries did not spend more on their defense budget.
This may be an allusion to a statement made by Trump at the NATO summit in 2018. According to the Washington Post, Trump's words on Saturday are an escalation of this threat.
The Republican wants to be re-elected president this November and is fighting for his candidacy in his party's primaries.
Among other things, he advertises that he wants to continue a fundamental reassessment of NATO.
At the campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump also announced again that he would deport people on a large scale.
Irregular immigration is one of the dominant issues in the US election campaign.
A frequently used argument on the Republican side is that taxpayers' money should not be spent on protecting other countries - such as Ukraine - but on protecting their own borders.
dpa