Donald Trump on whether US would help Europe if attacked: It depends

On Wednesday, Donald Trump gave an interview to Fox News reporters. He was asked, among others: about America's obligations within the North Atlantic Alliance. – There are real concerns about what a second Trump term means. Will you maintain your commitments within NATO? asked host Bret Baer.

– It depends on whether they will treat us well – answered the former president. – NATO took advantage of our country. European countries took advantage of it. They used us in trade and later in military defense, he said. He said only eight European countries met their financial obligations and “the US paid the difference”.

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Speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton recalled Trump's words to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2020, when he was still president. . – You must understand that if Europe is attacked, we will never help you, we will not support you – quoted former US President Breton. The words were said to have come from a private conversation between Van der Leyen and Trump during a meeting at the Economic Forum in Davos, which Breton also attended. – By the way, NATO is dead, we'll leave it at that. And you owe me $400 billion because you, the Germans, are not paying what you owe on defense — Trump said, according to Breton.

During his presidency, Trump repeatedly said that NATO countries were spending too little, even though they were supposed to spend two percent of their GDP on defense. Berlin has often been criticized for spending too little.

However, the French commissioner did not say how the head of the electoral commission would respond to these comments. When asked about his words, van der Leyen's spokesman did not confirm this version of events, stressing that the content of the closed-door conversations had never been made public.

However, a spokesperson for Joe Biden's presidential campaign made the comment. “(Trump – Ed.) The idea that he will abandon our allies if he doesn't get his way indicates what we already know about Donald Trump: The only person he cares about is himself,” it said.

The website Politico reminds us that Breton is a supporter of increasing European defense capabilities in the face of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. – It's a great wake-up call, he can come back – Breton said about Trump's return to the presidency. – Now more than ever we know that we belong. We are a member of NATO and almost all (EU countries – ed.) have allies, but we have no choice but to drastically increase this pillar (security within the EU – ed.) to be ready for whatever happens. – he said .

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