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European countries need to be ready if Donald Trump pulls the US out of NATO, diplomats have told the Telegraph.
Diplomats from NATO countries said European capitals needed to “plan” and review their current defense capabilities in light of threats made by the former president.
Last week, Nikki Haley withdrew from the race for the Republican nomination, making Trump all but confirmed as the Republican nominee for November’s presidential election.
His possible return to the White House has raised concerns in Europe about U.S. support for Ukraine and the country’s involvement in NATO.
Trump previously said he would “encourage” Russia to attack North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries that don’t pay their “bills,” but former national security adviser John Bolton said expected to attempt to leave the alliance if re-elected.
Last month, the Telegraph revealed that the UK government has no contingency plan for such a scenario.
But other capitals are also beginning to realize that they must make similar preparations.
One European diplomat said Mr Trump’s comments were “of course” a “concern”. “No one knows what he will do next,” they said.
The official said North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries need to “plan for” scenarios that weaken U.S. commitment to the alliance. “We need to get ready,” they said.
But the number of countries meeting NATO’s goal of spending 2% of GDP on defense has increased significantly, meaning member states told Trump that “he’s getting what he wanted.” He pointed out that this means that there is a possibility that it can be said that.
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