Trump’s Comments on NATO Raise Concerns Among Allies

The recent comments made by former US President Donald Trump have resonated within NATO, from the United States to Europe.

The potential Republican candidate for the November presidential elections warned NATO allies that he would “encourage” Russia to do as it pleased with countries that were “delinquent” in their payments.

Trump had previously threatened not to defend alliance members who did not meet their defense spending quotas.

But during a rally in Conway, South Carolina, on Saturday, the former president went even further.

He claimed that the leader of a major member state – whom he did not identify – had asked him what the United States would do if their country failed to fulfill its financial obligations to NATO and was attacked by Russia.

Trump said he responded, “You didn’t pay? Are you delinquent?… No, I wouldn’t protect you, in fact, I would encourage the Russians to do as they pleased. You have to pay.”

Reactions

Trump’s words caused a strong reaction among NATO members, starting with the United States.

President Joe Biden called them “dangerous” and stated that “no other president in history has bowed to a Russian dictator.”

“Let me make this very clear: I will never do it. For God’s sake, it’s stupid, it’s shameful, it’s dangerous, it’s un-American,” Biden added.

He clarified that as long as he is president, “if Putin attacks a NATO ally, the United States will defend every inch of their territory.”

Biden pointed out that the only time Article 5 of NATO was invoked – which stipulates that an attack against any member state implies collective defense – was after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that any suggestion that “allies will not defend each other undermines our entire security,” putting the soldiers of member countries at risk.

NATO members agreed in 2014 to spend at least 2% of their national GDP on defense by 2024, but only a few European countries have met this goal so far and have promised to do so in the coming years.

Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Minister of Defense of Poland – a country that significantly exceeds the defense spending target – wrote on the social network X that “no election campaign is an excuse to play with the security of alliances.”

Meanwhile, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: “‘One for all and all for one.’ This NATO credo keeps over 950 million people safe, from Anchorage to Erzurum.”

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, described Trump’s statements as “reckless” and stated that they “do not bring more security or peace to the world” and “only serve Putin’s interests.”

“Going Too Far”

Trump has long criticized NATO, arguing that the United States bears an excessive financial burden as the main guarantor of defense for 30 other nations.

Patrick Bury, defense and security expert and former NATO analyst, told the BBC that Trump’s words reflect anger in the United States because “some European NATO countries do not spend the 2%” of their budget on defense.

“Playing hardball with NATO allies is valid, but it all depends on how far you go. These comments go too far,” he said.

He explained that Trump’s statements had a particular impact at a time when Russia is devoting its economy to war and its military spending surpasses that of European countries.

“If Trump is in the White House and there is a division within NATO, for example, regarding Ukraine, or how to respond to a small incursion that could justify the application of Article 5, these hypothetical situations worry the NATO alliance,” he argued.

Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, over a year after Trump left office.

Since then, the former president has criticized US financial aid to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member.

The United States has provided Ukraine with more financial support than any other country: a total of $44 billion since the 2022 invasion, according to figures from the White House in December.