Donald Trump, a former head of state and presidential candidate of the United States, elicited major criticism among U.S. legislators, world leaders, and voices in the mainstream media when he threatened to withhold protection from Russia against NATO nations that failed to make timely membership payments.
Trump, who has a history of criticizing the trans-Atlantic military alliance, described an incident in which an unidentified president of a NATO member challenged him on his threat that if they failed to meet NATO’s target of spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on the military, he would not defend them against a potential Russian invasion.
“You didn’t pay, you’re delinquent. … No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills,” Trump remarked.
Throughout history, the United States has maintained the largest military personnel of any NATO nation; as of 2023, it tallied 1.35 million soldiers.
President Trump has faced allegations of cultivating close relations with Russia throughout his inaugural term in office, in spite of no evidence ever materializing to support the idea that Russia helped Trump win in the 2016 election (the so-called ‘Russia Gate’ conspiracy).
Prominent Western officials, in addition to legislators of both the Democratic and Republican parties, expressed strong disapproval of Trump’s remarks.
“Sadly, they are also predictable coming from a man who is promising to rule as a dictator like the ones he praises on day one if he returns to the oval office,” President Biden remarked in a response.
In his pursuit of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Trump is engaged in a contest with Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina.
The U.S., Canada, France, Italy, Turkey, and the United Kingdom are among the 31 members of NATO that agreed in July of last year to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense, reiterating a previous objective.
The previous year, NATO published a report indicating that only eleven of the thirty-member alliance were allocating 2% or more of their GDP to defense.
The target for defense spending is not obligatory, however numerous nations have endeavored to increase their military expenditures in the wake of Ukraine’s war with Russia.
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