Follow-up – Al-Rashid
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned against the statements of former US President Donald Trump, noting that they “undermine the security” of the alliance.
Trump raised the possibility of not defending NATO countries that defaulted on their financial obligations if he returned to the White House.
“Any proposal whereby allies refrain from defending each other undermines the security of all of us, including the United States, and exposes American and European soldiers to increased danger,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.
Stoltenberg stressed in his statement that “NATO will remain ready and able to defend all allies,” adding that “any attack on NATO will provoke a unified and strong response.”
He continued: “I am convinced that the United States will remain a strong and committed ally within NATO, regardless of who wins the presidential elections.”
For its part, the White House described Trump’s statements as “horrific” and praised the efforts of US President Joe Biden to strengthen NATO.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates said, “Encouraging attacks on our closest allies…is horrific and disturbing, and puts American national security, global stability, and our economy at home at risk.”
Trump, who is likely to be the Republican Party’s candidate to face Democratic President Joe Biden in the presidential race, threatened on Saturday, if he wins a new term, not to defend NATO countries that do not allocate a sufficient share of their budget to defense, even indicating that he will “encourage” Russia to Attack her.
The former president constantly criticizes NATO member states for not fulfilling their obligations in terms of military spending.
