Trump rejected for “inciting” Russian attacks on NATO

NATO chief says the Republican's talk undermines the security of member countries and casts doubt on US commitment. Biden sees “Trump's green light” for Putin to extend the conflict in Ukraine to other countries. The former president of the United States and Republican Party's pre-candidate for the White House, Donald Trump, provoked harsh reactions from allied nations after criticizing countries that do not contribute enough to the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO).

At a campaign event in South Carolina, USA, Trump said that in the event of a Russian attack on any of the countries that fail to meet their financial obligations to the alliance, he, if he is president, will not only refuse to protect them, but would encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to bad payers.

The former president, who was referring to the commitment of allied nations to dedicate 2% of their Gross Domestic Products (GDP) to military spending, made the comments when reporting an alleged conversation he had with a head of government from a NATO country. which he did not want to identify.

“One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, 'If we don't pay and we are attacked by Russia, will you protect us?' I said, 'You haven't paid, are you in default? No, I won't protect you. In fact, I’m going to encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.'”

Trump's speech had a bad reaction among allies and generated warnings in Washington and abroad of possible risks to the alliance, in addition to increasing concerns about American commitment to the principle of collective defense, established in Article 5 of the Treaty.

“Green light for Putin”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused Trump of “sabotaging the security” of the alliance countries. “Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines our entire security, including that of the United States, and puts American and European soldiers at greater risk,” Stoltenberg said in a press release.

The Norwegian emphasized, however, that NATO “remains ready and capable of defending all allies” and warned that “any attack” on any of its members “will be met with a united and energetic response.”

Stoltenberg expressed hope that the US “will continue to be a strong and committed ally” to NATO “regardless of who wins the election.” The United States will hold presidential elections in November 2024, with a possible repeat of the dispute between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, who defeated him in the 2019 elections.

President Biden rejected Trump's comments, which he said only benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Donald Trump’s admission that he intends to give Putin a green light for more war and violence, to continue his brutal assault on free Ukraine and to expand his aggressions on the people of Poland and the Baltic countries is appalling and dangerous,” Biden said. , in note..

European Council President Charles Michel called the comments irresponsible, saying they “only serve Putin’s interests.”

Former US diplomat at the UN Nikki Haley, Trump's rival for the Republican Party nomination, accused her former boss of siding with Putin. “What bothers me about all this is, don't side with the criminal who kills his opponents. Don’t take the side of someone who invades a country and leaves half a million dead and injured,” she said.

Alliance in check

Trump is comfortably leading the Republican Party's internal dispute in the race for the White House. To date, he has won every primary he has contested, with a wide advantage over Haley.

Trump is a longtime critic of NATO and what he sees as the excessive financial burden on the United States to guarantee the defense of 30 other countries.

In the past, he has made other comments questioning the value of NATO and American aid to Ukraine. The US is the eastern European country's biggest supporter, having sent more than 75 billion dollars (R$372 billion) to Kiev since the invasion, according to Stoltenberg, while other countries have collectively contributed more than 100 billion dollars ( R$495 billion).

Parallel to the campaign, the former president is still responding to a series of challenges and legal actions. The Republican faces a lawsuit for corporate fraud, as well as accusations of trying to overturn the result of the 2020 elections, instigating the invasion of the Capitol, illegally storing confidential documents in his mansion and falsifying financial reports related to paying a porn actress for silence with whom he allegedly had an extramarital affair, among other disputes that weigh against him.

rc (AFP, EFE, DW)