NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenbert said he wouldn’t wade into the USA presidential campaign, but he noted that “solidarity among allies is a key value for NATO”.
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“NATO is the basis for our security”, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said Thursday at a news conference in Poland, commenting on Trump’s remarks.
“Estonia is 1 of 5 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies in Europe to meet its 2 percent defence expenditures commitment”, he said, adding Estonians had “fought, with no caveats” in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation operations in Afghanistan.
That’s true, but we are treaty-obligated under NATO, forget the bills part.
The property tycoon and former television star, who is due to be nominated by his party later on Thursday, told The New York Times he would only come to the aid of an ally if they had “fulfilled their obligations” to the United States.
Trump, who is scheduled to address the Republican National Convention on Thursday, is expected to outline a foreign policy strategy aimed at reducing US expenditures and involvement overseas.
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a military alliance of European and North American democracies created after World War II to strengthen worldwide cooperation as a counter-balance to the rise of the Soviet Union.
Pressured by NYT reporter David E. Sanger about whether Trump, if elected president, would rescue the Baltic states from a possible Russian invasion, the Republican said: “If they fulfill their obligations to us, the answer is yes”. “We defend one another”.
“An American president has his or her words scrutinized carefully by every government around the world, and while there’s only one president right now, there’s only one of two people who are going to be president”, he added, in reference to Clinton, who is expected to receive the Democratic nomination next week.
“It is fair to assume that Vladimir Putin is rooting for a Trump presidency”, said Clinton foreign policy adviser Jake Sullivan.
“Ronald Reagan would be ashamed”.
“If people don’t think they can count on you, then they won’t count on you”.
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Bolton said he did not formally endorse Trump, but supports him.
