Brussels, Feb 11 (EFE) – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday that former United States President Donald Trump’s comments “undermine the security” of Atlantic Alliance countries, after Trump said at a campaign rally that he would not defend members of the bloc that do not pay their dues.<\/p>
“Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk,” Stoltenberg said in a press release.<\/p>
The leader stressed that “NATO remains ready and able to defend all allies” and warned that “any attack” against any of its members “will be met with a united and forceful response” in accordance with the principle of collective defense enshrined in Article 5 of the Atlantic Treaty.<\/p>
Stoltenberg’s criticism came after Trump on Saturday, during an election rally in the state of South Carolina, criticized NATO countries that do not sufficiently fund the collective defense of the bloc by failing to meet the commitment to allocate 2% of their GDP in military spending.<\/p>
The former US president claimed that when he was president he had told the president of another NATO country that if he stopped paying his dues he would not defend him from a Russian attack and would even “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want.”<\/p>
“You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent? No, I would not protect you,” he said he had told the unidentified president.<\/p>
Joe Biden’s White House called the remarks “appalling and unhinged.” EFE<\/p>
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