AFP Donald Trump at the rally in Conway, South Carolina
NOS News•Sunday, 10:37•Changed Sunday, 4:03 PM
In the US, presidential candidate Trump has said that Russia is free to attack NATO countries if they do not spend enough money on defense. The former president made the striking statements at a campaign rally in Conway, South Carolina.
The White House calls Trump’s statements “unhinged” and a danger to global stability. NATO chief Stoltenberg calls Trump’s suggestion undermining the alliance. He emphasizes that NATO always takes action when a member state is attacked, a stated agreement.
Trump’s comment refers to NATO’s directive for member states to spend at least 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense. Last year, seven of the 31 Member States complied with this directive. During his presidency (2017 – 2021), Trump also strongly criticized countries that do not meet the standard.
‘You have to pay your bills’
In Conway, Trump looked back on his presidency. He said “a president of a great country” asked him whether the US would act if his country was attacked by the Russians even though it did not meet NATO standards.
“If you don’t pay? If you don’t follow the rules?” Trump asked rhetorically. “No, then I wouldn’t protect you. I would protect them [Rusland] encourage them to do whatever they want. You just have to pay your bills.”
Watch the excerpt from Trump’s speech here:
Trump: ‘If NATO countries don’t pay they can be attacked’
One of the founding principles of the alliance is that an attack on one of its members is an attack on all member states. As president, Trump often complained that many NATO countries spent significantly less money than that guideline. Partly for this reason, he threatened to leave the alliance several times. The US spends about 3.5 percent of its GDP on defense.
The 2 percent guideline was agreed almost twenty years ago. In 2014, only three of the Member States met this standard. In recent years, more NATO countries have increased defense budgets to comply. Particularly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European countries are investing significantly more in their armies.