Former US President Donald Trump has said he would urge Russia to do "whatever the hell it wants" to any NATO member that fails to meet defense spending guidelines.
At a rally in South Carolina, Trump said that "one of the presidents of a great country" at one point asked him whether the United States would still defend the country if it were invaded by Russia, even if it paid for the defense less than 2% of GDP as per Alliance spending guidelines.
“Absolutely not,” Trump says he responded, “if you don't pay you're a criminal. I wouldn't protect you. In fact I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You have to pay your bills."
A statement that a White House spokesperson described as "frightening and crazy". Trump “encourages invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes,” the spokesperson said.
NATO's voice was also heard, through Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: «We are ready to defend all allies. Any statement that talks about the possibility that member countries will not defend each other puts the security of all of us at risk, including that of the USA, and exposes American and European soldiers to increasing risks."
(Unioneonline)
