Western allies criticise Trump over NATO remarks

After former United States president and Republican candidate Donald Trump's unruly remarks on North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies, many Western countries have criticised him, saying, "No election campaign is an excuse for playing with the security of the alliance," Al Jazeera reported.

On Saturday, during a political rally in South Carolina, Trump recalled the time when he was the president and had an encounter with another president, who had told him: "Well, sir, if we don't pay and we're attacked by Russia, will you protect us?"

"I said, 'You didn't pay? You're delinquent?' He said, 'Yes, let's say that happened.' No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay."

This has attracted a lot of criticism for Trump from outside. Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a written statement, "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."

"Any attack on NATO will be met with a united and forceful response," he added.

Top Western officials criticised Trump on Sunday after he suggested the country might not protect NATO allies who aren’t spending enough on defence from a potential Russian invasion.

Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, in a tweet on X, said, "NATO's motto ‘one for all, all for one’ is a concrete commitment. Undermining the credibility of allied countries means weakening the entire NATO."

The German Foreign Ministry posted on X, "One for all and all for one", with the hashtag #StrongerTogether.

European Union Council President Charles Michel said: "Reckless statements on NATO’s security and Article 5 solidarity serve only Putin’s interest."