Donald Trump declared during the US election campaign that he would not protect defaulting NATO members from Russia, but would “even encourage” Putin. The criticism is massive.
Update from February 12th, 7:30 a.m.: Republican politicians have defended former US President Donald Trump’s NATO statements. “Come on, I mean, it’s Trump,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told the US newspaper New York Times. “All I can say is that no one attacked anyone while Trump was president,” he added. In doing so, he also supports Trump’s argument that the war in Ukraine or the Hamas attack on Israel would not have been possible under his leadership.
Senator Marco Rubio made a similar statement to the broadcaster CNN. Trump’s comments were simply aimed at getting others to do more and become more active within the alliance. “I have no concerns at all, because he was president before,” said Rubio, adding: “I know exactly what he has done and will do with NATO.” However, there actually has to be an alliance, the senator emphasized : “It’s not America’s defense with a bunch of small junior partners.”
Scholz sharply rejects Trump’s NATO statements
Update from February 12th, 7:05 p.m.: Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sharply rejected former US President Donald Trump’s statements about not wanting to defend defaulting NATO allies in the event of re-election. “Any relativization of NATO’s guarantee of assistance is irresponsible and dangerous,” said the SPD politician today at a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Berlin. Such statements were “solely in Russia’s interest,” criticized Scholz.
Confusion about Trump’s NATO statement: Is Ursula von der Leyen behind it?
Update from February 12th, 4:45 p.m.: It remains unclear who asked Trump the question about US protection from a Russian attack. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton said on the French broadcaster LCI But the assumption is that Trump was referring to a conversation with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and only spoke about the president of a large country because of a “small memory problem”.
According to the news portal Politico Breton had recently reported this to someone at a party event. Trump is said to have said during the 2020 conversation at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “You have to understand that we will never come to help you and support you if Europe is attacked – and by the way: NATO is dead, and we are will leave NATO.”
Update from February 12th, 11:41 a.m.: Headwind for Donald Trump: EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borell has sharply criticized the former US President’s statements about NATO’s duty to provide assistance. The Western defense alliance “cannot be an à la carte military alliance that depends on the whim of the US president,” complained the top Brussels official. Trump’s statements are “terrifying and dangerous.” Trump had previously questioned whether the US would stand by the Europeans at any cost in the event of a possible attack by Russia. The statements were also met with much outrage in Germany.
Debate about NATO’s obligation to provide assistance: Politicians in Germany and the EU react with dismay
Update from February 12th, 9:40 a.m.: German foreign policy experts reacted with dismay to Donald Trump’s statement that he would not defend defaulting NATO allies in the event of re-election and warned against the ex-president’s re-election. “Trump’s erroneous statements about the US’s contractual obligations in the event of an attack on a NATO member prove once again how unpredictable, unscrupulous and unreliable he is,” said the German government’s transatlantic coordinator, Michael Link (FDP), to the Berliner Daily Mirror.
It is all the more important “that the EU and NATO prepare for all possible scenarios and do everything they can to make the EU and NATO more capable of acting and competitive,” Link added.
Trump’s statements cause criticism
Update from February 11th, 5:45 p.m.: The reactions to Donald Trump’s statements about defending defaulting NATO partners are causing discontent among US allies. Poland’s Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that the NATO principle “One for all, all for one” was “a concrete obligation”. According to the German Press Agency, the conservative politician wrote on X: “Undermining the credibility of allied countries means weakening the entire North Atlantic Treaty Organization. No election campaign should be an excuse to play with the security of the alliance.”
Poland is considered one of the closest US allies in Europe and is currently investing above average in its own armament, but apparently still feels unsettled by Trump’s statements.
Donald Trump does not want to defend defaulting NATO partners – Secretary General expresses emphatic words
Update from February 11th, 3:44 p.m.: After Donald Trump caused a stir with statements about NATO, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is now commenting on the ex-US President’s suggestions that he would not defend defaulting NATO allies in the event of re-election. “Any suggestion that allies will not defend themselves undermines our entire security, including that of the United States, and puts US soldiers and European soldiers at increased risk,” Stoltenberg said in Brussels on Sunday, sharply criticizing Trump.
“I expect that regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election, the US will remain a strong and committed ally of NATO,” Stoltenberg said loudly ZDF further.
Trump causes a stir with NATO statement – sharp criticism from the White House
This was preceded by Trump’s election campaign appearance, in which the Republican also encouraged the government in Moscow to do “whatever they want” (see initial report). As a result, it was not only the White House that distanced itself from the statements: “Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and crazy,” said spokesman Andrew Bates on Saturday evening. Instead of calling for wars and promoting “deranged chaos,” US President Joe Biden will “continue to strengthen American leadership.”
Other responsible people in the USA also spoke out against the former US President’s position. “Trump simply doesn’t understand NATO or Russia, and he’s endangering all of Europe with this incredibly stupid statement,” said retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling. The soldier formerly served as chief of the US Army in Europe.
No help for NATO partners: Trump causes a stir during his election campaign appearance
First report from February 11th, 7:32 a.m.: Washington/Conway – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he would not grant protection from Russia to NATO partners who do not meet their financial obligations. The former US President said this on Saturday (February 10) at a campaign event in the US state of South Carolina.
Trump sends a clear message to NATO: “No, I wouldn’t protect you”
The “president of a great country” once asked him whether the United States would still protect this country from Russia even if it did not pay for defense spending, Trump said. He replied: “No, I wouldn’t protect you.” In fact, he would “even encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want.” It was unclear whether there was ever such a conversation between Trump and given to a head of state, because the Republican also said: “Let’s assume that’s what happened.”
Biden spokesman reacts immediately to Trump’s announcement about NATO and Russia
US President Joe Biden’s White House reacted immediately. “Encouraging attacks by a murderous regime on our closest allies is outrageous and completely insane,” spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement Saturday. “It endangers America’s national security, global stability and our domestic economy.”
During a recent visit to Washington, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg countered fears that the outcome of the US presidential election could endanger the future of NATO. Stoltenberg told the US broadcaster CNN at the end of January that he had worked with Trump for four years and listened to him carefully. Trump’s main criticism, that the allies are spending too little on NATO, has been received. They have significantly increased their defense spending in recent years.
Trump repeatedly threatened to withdraw from NATO
Trump, who ruled in the White House from 2017 to 2021, repeatedly threatened to withdraw the United States from the defense alliance. The Republican wants to be re-elected president in November and is fighting for his candidacy in his party’s primaries. Among other things, he advertises that he wants to continue a fundamental reassessment of NATO.
At the campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump also announced that he would deport people on a large scale. Irregular immigration is one of the dominant issues in the US election campaign. A frequently used argument on the Republican side is that taxpayers’ money should not be spent on protecting other countries – such as Ukraine – but on protecting their own borders.
NATO is already preparing for a possible new US President Trump: out of concern that Donald Trump will win the election, it is considering making military aid to Ukraine its task in the future. But the move could anger Russia. Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s health and his repeated misfires are alarming Speculation about Michelle Obama’s candidacy. (dpa/smu)