On Sunday, U. S. President Joe Biden and top Western officials criticized former President Donald Trump for suggesting that the United States might not protect NATO allies who are not spending enough on defense against a potential Russian invasion.
“America’s leadership on the world stage and support for our allies is critical to keeping the American people safe here at home,” Biden said.
“If my opponent, Donald Trump, is able to regain power, he is making it clear as day that he will abandon our NATO allies if Russia attacks and allow Russia to ‘do whatever the hell they want’ with them.”
During a political rally in South Carolina, Trump recounted a meeting with NATO leaders. He quoted the president of an unnamed “big country” asking if the US would protect them if they were attacked by Russia, and highlighted that only 11 out of NATO’s 31 members are meeting the agreed target of spending at least 2% of their GDP on defense. These comments quickly received criticism from NATO and US allies.
“Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines our security as a whole, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk,” stated NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a written statement.
“Any attack on NATO will be met with a united and forceful response,” he added, in response to remarks made by Trump on Saturday. Trump is expected to be the Republican nominee in this year’s U. S. presidential election.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz also expressed his opinion, stating that NATO’s motto, ‘one for all, all for one,’ is a concrete commitment. He emphasized that undermining the credibility of allied countries weakens the entire NATO. He shared his thoughts on the social media platform X.
“No election campaign should be used as an excuse to compromise the security of the Alliance,” stated Germany’s foreign ministry. They posted the message ‘One for all and all for one’ with the hashtag StrongerTogether on their English language X account in response to Trump’s comments. EU Council President Charles Michel criticized the reckless statements regarding NATO’s security and Article 5 solidarity, noting that they only serve the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In reference to Trump’s comments, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, in an interview with France’s LCI television, dismissively remarked, “We have heard that before… Nothing new under the sun.” Breton then pointed out Trump’s apparent memory lapse, stating that the conversation in question involved a female president, not of a country but of the European Union, namely European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen.
“We cannot leave our security to chance every four years, depending on the outcome of a single election, particularly the U. S. presidential election,” stated Breton. He further emphasized that European Union leaders recognized the need for the bloc to enhance its military spending and capabilities.
Jason Miller, Trump’s senior campaign advisor, commented, “President Trump successfully compelled our allies to increase their NATO spending by insisting they fulfill their financial obligations. However, Joe Biden has reverted back to allowing them to exploit the American taxpayer.”
“When you don’t pay for your defense spending, it should come as no surprise that you end up with more war.”
