"I will let Russia do whatever it wants!" Trump's threats to NATO allies become known

During his presidency, Donald Trump threatened NATO leaders that in the event of a Russian attack, he would not defend those members of the Alliance who owe payments to the organization. Moreover, he even threatened that, on the contrary, he would encourage Russia to aggress against the "debtors."

This was stated by Donald Trump himself during a speech on Saturday, February 10, in South Carolina. His words are quoted by The New York Times.

Trump has not made it clear whether he would ever follow through on such a threat or what it would mean for the Alliance, but his comment, which he made to demonstrate his "negotiating skills," is likely to cause concern among NATO member states already very nervous about the prospect of Trump returning to the U.S. presidency.

Some European officials and foreign policy experts have expressed concern that Russia could invade a NATO country after winning the war with Ukraine, a fear they say is exacerbated by a possible Trump election victory in the fall of 2024.

Trump has previously stated that supporting NATO is an excessive burden for the United States and that the Alliance is draining U.S. financial and military resources. And his campaign website says that his country should reconsider the purpose of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

During the current election campaign, Trump has already recalled how, during his presidency, he privately told NATO leaders that the United States would not defend them against a Russian attack if they were in arrears. And he boasted that allegedly after he made this threat, "hundreds of billions of dollars flowed in" to NATO.

During a speech in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump again recalled a conversation with a European leader who asked if the United States would defend his country in the event of a Russian attack if it was indebted to NATO.

"No, I would not defend you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You have to pay your bills," Donald Trump quoted himself as saying.

The newspaper noted that White House spokesman Andrew Bates called Trump's comments "appalling and ridiculous."

"Instead of calling for wars and promoting insane chaos, President Joe Biden should continue to uphold American leadership and defend our nation-state, to stand up for security interests, not against them," Andrew Bates said.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

US President Joe Biden said that Donald Trump called and "threatened" Republican senators not to vote for the bill on the US border, which provides for the allocation of aid to Ukraine and Israel.

NATO is considering taking over the supply of weapons to Ukraine in order to outplay Trump if he becomes president. This is stated in an article by the German newspaper Handelsblatt, whose journalists cite sources in diplomatic and political circles.

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