On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will hold a press conference before he is to meet with NATO countries’ defense ministers. Last night on Sunday, US presidential candidate Donald Trump was once again critical of NATO. Trump said at a campaign meeting in South Carolina that he would not necessarily protect other NATO countries if they were attacked. According to Article 5 of the NATO pact, it states that an attack on one member state is an attack on all. – Any hint that allies will not defend each other undermines all our security, including that of the United States. This exposes American and European soldiers to increased risk, Stoltenberg said then. Jens Stoltenberg visited the White House in 2017 when Donald Trump was US president. Photo: Shealah Craighead / The White House Encourage Russia to do what they want During the election campaign meeting, the American ex-president told about a conversation during a NATO meeting. According to himself, “a president of a large country” should be asked whether the US would defend them during a Russian invasion. Then Trump replied: – No, I didn’t want to protect you. I would actually encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want. They have to pay. They have to pay the bill. Trump aimed for countries to meet their goals of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense. Only 11 out of 30 NATO member countries do that. These statements have caused reactions both in the USA and in Europe. Anders Romarheim, who works at the Norwegian Defense Academy, called Trump’s use of words sensational. – It is very dangerous. The White House also reacted strongly. – Inciting a brutal regime to invade our closest allies is appalling and mentally unstable, and it puts American security, global stability and the economy at risk, said Andrew Bates, spokesman for the White House. – If he is elected, we will have to have a good number of conversations Donald Trump has been skeptical of NATO on several occasions, including when he was a presidential candidate. According to the French EU commissioner Thierry Breton, Donald Trump is said to have said in a meeting back in 2020 that “NATO is dead” and that the US will leave the alliance. The ex-president has good forecasts before the election in the autumn. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told VG last week that if Donald Trump becomes the next president of the United States, they will have to go a few rounds to find out what he actually means. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expects the US to be a strong and committed NATO ally regardless of who becomes president in the autumn. Photo: Nato – Nato is not just a formality. It must also have real credibility that the US will support European countries, the minister told the newspaper. And Stoltenberg also agreed: – Regardless of who wins the presidential election, I expect the USA to continue as a strong and committed NATO ally.
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Trumps with new threats – Stoltenberg meets the press – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
