Trump says he will encourage Russia to attack NATO states that pay too little

Donald Trump, a former US president seeking reelection in November presidential elections, has said that he will "encourage" Russia to attack any of US NATO allies that, in his view, fail to meet their financial obligations.

Source: The Guardian

Details: The White House said the remarks were "appalling and unhinged". Trump made the statement on Saturday during a campaign rally in Conway, South Carolina, ahead of the state’s Republican presidential primary on 24 February.

Trump "has voiced misgivings about aid to Ukraine as it defends itself from the invasion launched by Russia in February 2022 – as well as to the existence of NATO, the 31-nation alliance which the US has committed to defending when necessary," The Guardian reported.

On Saturday, Trump claimed that during an unspecified NATO meeting he told a fellow head of state that the US under his leadership would not defend any countries who were "delinquent".

Quote from Trump: "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?’ 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."

Details: When asked about Trump’s comments, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said: "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."

For reference: NATO countries agreed to halt the spending cuts they had made after the Cold War and move toward spending 2% of their GDPs on defence by 2024 after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014.

During his 2016 campaign, Trump alarmed Western allies when he said that under his leadership, the US might abandon its NATO treaty commitments and only come to the defence of countries that meet the alliance’s 2% target.

As of 2022, NATO reported that 7 of what are now 31 NATO member states were meeting that obligation, up from 3 in 2014. Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has spurred additional military spending by some NATO members.

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