Donald Trump again threatens to sacrifice Nato allies to Russia

Donald Trump has doubled down on his threat to undermine Nato, saying “we’re not going to protect” allied countries he believes do not pay enough to maintain the alliance if he returns to the White House next year.

Speaking at a rally in South Carolina late on Wednesday, the former president said: “I’ve been saying, ‘Look, if they’re not going to pay, we’re not going to protect, OK?’

“And [Joe] Biden who said, ‘Oh, this is so bad. This is so terrible that he would say that.’ No … nobody’s paying their bills.

“One of the heads of the countries said, ‘Does that mean that if we don’t pay the bills, that you’re not going to protect us?’ That’s exactly what it means. I’m not going to protect you.”

Trump caused outrage and alarm last week when he said he would encourage Russia to attack Nato members he deemed financially delinquent.

Biden expressed outrage, telling reporters at the White House on Tuesday: “Can you imagine a former president of the United States saying that? The whole world heard it. The worst thing is, he means it. No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Let me say this as clearly as I can: I never will.

“For God’s sake, it’s dumb, it’s shameful, it’s dangerous. It’s un-American. When America gives its word it means something, so when we make a commitment, we keep it. And Nato is a sacred commitment.”

On Wednesday, Barack Obama, to whom Biden was vice-president, chimed in on social media, saying: “President Biden is absolutely right. The last thing we need right now is a world that is more chaotic and less secure; where dictators feel emboldened and our allies wonder if they can count on us. Let’s keep moving forward.”

Bloomberg News reported that Trump allies preparing for a possible second term “have discussed essentially a two-tiered Nato alliance, where article five – which requires common defense of any member under attack – would apply only to nations that hit defense-spending goals”.

Bloomberg also said Trump would seek peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, with the prospect of an end to US aid used to bring Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, to the bargaining table.

In Brussels, Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said Trump threatened to “undermine the credibility of Nato’s deterrence”.

On Thursday, Stoltenberg told reporters that defence investment among member nations was “on the right track”.

“We are 31 democratic nations on both sides of the Atlantic,” Stoltenberg said. “And as long as this alliance has existed, there have been different views and discussions.”

Saying he was “confident that Nato will remain the strongest and most successful alliance in history”, Stoltenberg added: “I expect the United States to continue to be a staunch ally, for at least three reasons:

“First, it is in the national security interest of the United States to have a strong Nato. Second, there is actually broad bipartisan support for Nato in the United States. And thirdly, the criticism in the United States is not primarily against Nato, it’s against Nato allies not spending enough money on Nato.

“And then actually we have a very good story to tell. Because for many years, it was a valid point and a fair case to raise from the US side that European allies and Canada did not spend enough. But things have really changed, with increased defence spending across Canada and Europe.”