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Former President Donald J. Trump told NATO leaders on Saturday that while he was president, Russia would “encourage” countries that have not paid their military to “do whatever they want.” He said, Alliance.
Trump did not say whether he intended to follow through with such a threat or what it would mean for the alliance, but his comments at a campaign event in South Carolina were intended to emphasize negotiations. It was a variation of something he had said before. This is likely to cause concern among NATO members, who are already very nervous about the prospect of President Trump returning.
Mr. Trump’s suggestion that he would encourage Russian aggression against U.S. allies for any reason comes as Congressional Republicans oppose further aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia and European officials worry about the possibility of Russian aggression. This came out while he was making a statement. NATO invasion of the east.
Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the warnings as “threat-mongering” in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that aired on Thursday, saying, “We will continue to support Poland, Latvia, and other countries. I’m not interested in anything,” Putin said. .
But he also called on the US to “forge a deal” to end the war in Ukraine by ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia, a comment that has prompted conservatives in the US to discourage further involvement in the war. This is seen by some as an appeal to the public to do so.
Some European officials and diplomatic experts say they are concerned that Russia could invade NATO members after the war with Ukraine ends, and Trump returns to office. There is growing concern over the possibility of this happening.
Mr. Trump has previously expressed the belief that support for NATO is an undue burden on the United States, saying the alliance would drain America’s financial and military resources. His campaign website says the country needs to reevaluate the organization’s purpose.
He recalled personally telling North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members in the past that the United States would no longer protect them from Russian attack if they defaulted. Last year, he claimed in a campaign speech that “hundreds of billions of dollars” had flowed into NATO after making that threat.
On Saturday, he brought up the anecdote again, saying he had told European leaders “they have to pay a price.”
“Then, the president of a great country stood up and said, ‘Well, if we don’t pay and the Russians attack, will you protect us?'” he said. .
Trump said he asked his counterpart if the country was “in arrears” on payments. The leader said, “Yes. Let’s say that happened,” Trump said.
Trump recalled responding, “No, I’m not going to protect you.” “In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever they want to do. You have to pay. You have to pay the bills.”
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