Top Western officials criticised former United States president Donald 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.
“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,” said Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a written statement.
“Any attack on Nato will be met with a united and forceful response,” he added, reacting to re-marks on Saturday by Trump, who is likely to be the Republican nominee in this year’s US presidential election.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz also weighed in. “Nato’s motto ‘one for all, all for one’ is a concrete commitment. Undermining the credibility of allied countries means weakening the entire Nato,” he wrote on social media platform X.
“No election campaign is an excuse for playing with the security of the alliance.” Germany’s foreign ministry posted the message ‘One for all and all for one’ with the hashtag #StrongerTogether on its English language X account following Trump’s comments.
European Union Council President Charles Michel said: “Reckless statements on Nato’s security and Article 5 solidarity serve only [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s interest.”
Article 5 of the Nato treaty says that an armed attack against an alliance member will be considered an attack against them all, triggering collective self-defence.—Agencies
