Donald Trump’s suggestion the US would not protect Nato allies failing to spend enough on defence “undermines all of our security”, the Western military alliance’s chief has said.
Jens Stoltenberg also suggested it put US and European troops at greater risk.
Trump, who is the leading Republican for November’s US presidential election, said he had told allies he would “encourage” Russia to attack any Nato member that failed to meet the alliance’s target of 2% of their GDP.
Addressing crowds during a rally in South Carolina on Saturday, the former president said he had made his comments about Russia during a previous meeting of leaders of Nato countries.
Mr Trump recalled that the leader of a “big country” had presented a hypothetical situation in which he was not meeting his financial obligations within Nato and had come under attack from Moscow.
He said the leader had asked if the US would come to his country’s aid in that scenario, which prompted him to issue a rebuke.
“I said: ‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’… ‘No I would not protect you, in fact I would encourage them to do whatever they want. You gotta pay.'”
According to Nato’s own figures for 2023 spending, 19 of its 30 member nations are spending below the target of 2% of their annual GDP on defence – among them Germany, Norway and France.
But most countries which border Ukraine, Russia, or its neighbour and ally Belarus, are exceeding this guideline.
At over 3.9% of its annual GDP, Poland spends even more than the US. Romania, Hungary, Finland and the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia range between 2.3 and 2.7% for defence expenditure.
In a statement on Sunday, Mr Stoltenberg emphasised the alliance remains “ready and able” to defend its members and any attack “will be met with a united and forceful response”.
But he said any suggestion that “allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security”, and suggested Mr Trump’s remarks “put American and European soldiers at increased risk”.
“I expect that regardless of who wins the presidential election the US will remain a strong and committed Nato ally,” he added.
A White House spokesman earlier said Mr Trump was “encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes” and labelled the comments “appalling and unhinged”.
He added that the statement “endangers American national security, global stability and our economy at home”.
Mr Trump has long been critical of Nato and what he sees as an excessive financial burden on the United States to guarantee the defence of 30 other nations.
