- Donald Trump has suggested that the United States could force Russia to attack a non-NATO member.
- The White House said his proposal was “astonishing and far-fetched.”
- Trump frequently criticized NATO during his presidency.
The White House said former President Donald Trump's suggestion that the United States could force Russia to attack a non-NATO member state was “astounding and liberating.”
Speaking at a rally in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump recalled a meeting he allegedly had with NATO leaders in which the president of a “great power” allegedly said: We are being attacked by Russia, will you protect us? ”
“I said, 'Aren't you paying? Are you delinquent?' He said: 'Yes, let's say that happened…' No, I won't protect you. In fact, I encourage them to do whatever they want, you have to pay.”
In response to Trump's comments, White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement: “Encouraging a brutal regime to invade its closest allies is horrifying, disorderly, and threatens the national security of the United States. “This puts global stability and domestic economies at risk.”
“Rather than calling for war or fomenting chaos, President Biden will continue to strengthen American leadership and stand up for, not against, our national security interests.” .
This is important: NATO members fear that a second Trump presidency could further President Vladimir Putin's ambitions to expand Russia's influence over its neighbors.
NATO is a military alliance of 30 countries formed after World War II by the United States and its allies to counter the growing influence of the Soviet Union in Europe and beyond.
It is based on the principle of mutual defence, where an attack against one member state is considered an attack against all member states.
As president, Trump frequently criticized NATO and threatened to withdraw from the alliance. He often complained that other countries were not spending enough to support the alliance and that the United States was paying more than its fair share.
For example, in July 2018, President Trump tweets: “Presidents have been trying and failing for years to get Germany and other rich NATO countries to pay more for protection from Russia. , only a fraction of that cost.The United States has overpaid tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to Europe and is losing out on “Great Trade!'' ”
A senior European Union official recently revealed that President Trump told the United States as president: Will 'never' help Europe If you are under attack.
President Trump's comments came ahead of the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The former president complained about a total of about $43 billion that the United States sent to Ukraine, which is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Congressional Republicans have since blocked the Biden administration's proposed $60 billion in funding.
Trump also praised Putin's intelligence and claimed that if he became president, he could end the conflict in a day without explaining how.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently warned that Putin's success in Ukraine would have far-reaching implications for Europe.
“Even if Putin wins in Ukraine, there is no guarantee that Russian aggression will not spread to other countries,” Stoltenberg told the German newspaper Wert am Sonntag.
“We must prepare for a conflict that could last for decades.”
