NATO leader says Trump put allies at risk by saying Russia can ‘do whatever it wants’

The head of the NATO military alliance warned on Sunday that Donald Trump was putting the security of U.S. troops and its allies at risk after the Republican presidential candidate said Russia should be able to target NATO members who don’t “Do whatever you want.” Defeat defense spending targets.

“Any suggestion that allies do not defend each other undermines our security, including that of the United States, and puts American and European soldiers at greater risk,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. .”

Speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, on Saturday, Trump recalled how as president he told an unidentified NATO member that he would “encourage” Russia if a NATO ally was “breaking the law.” Act on your own terms.

“‘You didn’t pay? Did you break the law?'” Trump recalled. “‘No, I’m not going to protect you. In fact, I’m going to encourage them to do whatever they want. You’ve got to pay. You’ve got to pay your bills.”

Trump’s comments have caused deep concern in Poland, which has been under Russian control for centuries and is highly anxious about Russia’s war against Ukraine on Poland’s border.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Sunday that “a hot war is taking place on our borders” and expressed concern about whether the United States would “show full solidarity with other NATO countries in what is expected to be a protracted confrontation with Russia.” .

“We have to realize that the EU cannot be an economic and civilizational giant and a dwarf when it comes to defence, because the world has changed,” he said in a town hall speech marking the start of the party’s local election campaign this spring.

In 2014, NATO allies committed to spending 2% of GDP on defense by 2024. According to NATO estimates in early 2023, 10 of its 30 members at that time were close to or above 2%, while 13 were spending 1.5% or less on defense.

No country owes a debt to any other country or to NATO.

Stoltenberg said he expected “no matter who wins the presidential election, the United States will remain a strong and committed NATO ally.”

The German government did not officially comment on Trump’s remarks, but its foreign ministry noted NATO’s principles of unity in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

“‘One for many, all for one.’ This NATO creed has kept more than 950 million people safe.”

Trump’s comments drew particular attention from NATO frontline states such as Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which were either under Moscow’s control or fully integrated into the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Concerns are particularly heightened in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is allied with the right-wing opposition and has been seen as friendly to Trump during his presidency, said on Twitter that “no matter who is currently in power in Poland or the United States, Poland’s alliance with the United States must be strong “”.

“Offending half of the American political spectrum is neither in our economic interests nor in Poland’s security,” he warned.

German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung also called on European countries to increase defense spending in an editorial on Sunday.

The report said that if Trump wins the presidency again, his comments on Saturday night “will increase the risk that Putin will expand the war.” There is only one thing Europeans can do to deal with it: ultimately invest in the military based on the gravity of the situation Safety. “

Trump’s tenure has been marked by public admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, posing a near-existential challenge to NATO, which is largely controlled by the United States. The prospect of Trump returning to power remains a matter of deep concern to allies.

Stoltenberg was praised for his diplomatic skills in keeping NATO united during the Trump administration, but the former Norwegian prime minister is set to resign. His successor is likely to be announced when allied leaders hold a summit in Washington in July to celebrate NATO’s 75th anniversary.

Under NATO’s mutual defense clause, Article 5 of its founding treaty, all allies commit to assisting any member state that comes under attack. The article was activated only once by the United States after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, NATO has carried out its largest military buildup since the Cold War.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from Yonhap News Agency-The Associated Press)