NATO chief, EU official denounce Trump’s threat

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday warned against talk that “undermines security” after former US president Donald Trump threatened to encourage Russia to attack NATO members who were not fully paid up. “Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.

Trump threatened Saturday, in the event he is re-elected in the United States, that he would not defend NATO members who had not met their financial obligations, and going further would “encourage” Russia to attack them. The former US president has regularly criticized allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for underfunding the group.

European Council President Charles Michel earlier on Sunday also denounced his comments as “reckless”. “The Transatlantic Alliance has underpinned the security and the prosperity of Americans, Canadians and Europeans for 75 years,” said Michel on X, formerly Twitter. “Reckless statements on #NATO’s security and (Article) 5 solidarity serve only Putin’s interest” and “they do not bring more security or peace to the world”, he added. “On the contrary, they re-emphasize the need for the #EU to urgently further develop its strategic autonomy and invest in its defense,” he continued.

Article 5 stipulates that if a NATO country is victim of an armed attack, each member of the Alliance must consider the act as an attack against the whole group and take measures to provide aid to the country under threat. — AFP