Donald Trump regularly criticizes his NATO allies for not funding them adequately, and has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the alliance if he returns to the White House (French)
Some members of the Republican Party criticized their comrade, former President Donald Trump, for his statements in which he expressed his unwillingness to protect NATO member states from any future attack that Russia might launch if it did not spend enough in the defense alliance.
Chris Christie, the former Republican presidential candidate, expressed his annoyance in an interview with NBC, saying that this is why he has long said that Trump is unfit to become president of the United States.
During a political rally in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump criticized some NATO countries for not spending enough, and spoke of a previous discussion he had with the president of a “big country” about any attack Russia might launch against such countries.
Trump indicated that he told the president of that country that he would not protect him, but would encourage them to do whatever they wanted if he did not pay. He did not mention the name of the country or its president.
Trump's recent statements sparked sharp criticism from the White House, which described them as "horrific and wrong," and from a number of senior Western officials as well.
The failure of many of NATO's 31 countries to commit to the goal of keeping defense spending at least 2% of GDP has been a long-standing source of tension with the United States, whose armed forces are considered the core of the alliance's military power.
According to estimates, only 11 member countries appear to be spending at the targeted level.
We should not side with Russia
Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and Trump's only remaining rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, commented that siding with Russia is the last thing that should ever be done.
She added in an interview with CBC: “Do not support someone who went and invaded a country, and half a million people were killed or injured because of Putin in his war on Ukraine.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, said in a brief interview with Reuters that he did not agree with the way Trump expressed his views, referring to his statements about NATO.
But he believes that Russia will not invade anyone during his presidency, and that if Trump becomes president again, they will not do so.
Trump regularly criticizes his allies in the military coalition for not funding them adequately, and has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the coalition if he returns to the White House.
President Joe Biden responded to Trump's statements, describing them as "horrific and dangerous," and warned on Sunday that he intends to give Russian President Vladimir Putin a "green light" for more wars and violence.
The White House praised Biden's efforts to strengthen alliances with various countries around the world.
Reckless statements
The former US president's statements, on Saturday, sparked anger and resentment in Europe and within NATO. European Council President Charles Michel stressed that these "irresponsible" statements about NATO security and solidarity only serve Putin's interests, and do not increase security and peace in the world.
Michel pointed out that Article Five of the NATO Establishment Treaty stipulates that any attack on one of the NATO countries is considered an attack on the entire Alliance, which requires a joint response from all member states.
For his part, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned against the statements, stressing that any proposal that prevents allies from defending each other puts the security of everyone at risk, including the United States.
For his part, Republican Senator Marco Rubio tried to downplay the importance of Trump's statements, stressing that the former president "spoke nothing but the truth," because he "does not speak like any traditional politician," and indicated that he has no concerns about the future of the alliance if Trump wins. By elections.
On the other hand, Trump used his influence with Republican members of Congress to obstruct a bill aimed at allocating new funds to Ukraine and Israel, and reforming the immigration system in the United States to confront the border crisis with Mexico.
Currently, the Senate is considering a foreign aid package worth $95 billion, which includes financing Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip and aid to Taiwan and Ukraine, at a time when Trump is working to obstruct the provision of aid to Ukraine.
Source: Agencies