With Trump looming, NATO defense chiefs gather to talk Ukraine

BRUSSELS — If Russia wasn't already a big enough headache for NATO's defense ministers, along came Donald Trump.

When the alliance's defense ministers gather in Brussels on Wednesday to attempt to secure further military support for Ukraine, it will be under a shadow cast by the former U.S. president. “I would not protect you, in fact I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want,” Trump claimed to have told a European leader of his likely response if their country were attacked by Russia.

“You gotta pay!

Russia, of course, remains the biggest problem for most NATO countries. Not only is Ukraine in need of more Western ammunition to sustain an existential fight against invading Russian forces, but Moscow has also significantly escalated its threat to NATO. On Tuesday it designated Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia, a frontline NATO state, a "wanted" person, in a breach of diplomatic norms.

For European allies, however, a greater source of uncertainty is the future of the U.S. security commitment, a fear heightened by Trump's comments.

Amid the unease, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced he wouldn't attend the NATO meeting in person after being hospitalized for a medical emergency earlier this week.

Trump's electoral rhetoric prompted the U.S. ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, to momentarily shift the focus from Ukraine to U.S. politics when she briefed the media on Tuesday.

"Encouraging the Kremlin to attack any NATO ally or alliance territory really puts our soldiers — U.S. soldiers — and our allies' soldiers in greater danger," Smith said, referring to Trump's statements as "dangerous" and "irresponsible."

Alliances, she added, "are America's strength. They are not a charity project."

Smith's comments follow a similar response from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. "Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines our security," Stoltenberg said, adding he expected the U.S. "to remain a strong and devoted ally of NATO, whoever wins the presidential election."

The two-day meeting in Brussels will feature a discussion on beefing up military support for Ukraine, which Austin is slated to chair virtually. Smith said NATO allies and other partners are expected to suggest additional forms of assistance.

But here, too, the U.S. will be the unclear link in future support for Ukraine. While the Democratic-led U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, a greater hurdle lies ahead in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

But while the current U.S. administration remains a staunch ally of Europe, the same cannot be said of the government in Hungary, a fellow NATO member.

Budapest is again expected to take heat for being the final holdout in approving Sweden's entry into the alliance. The country had earlier vowed not to be the last to sign off on the Sweden deal, but that pledge fell by the wayside last month when Turkey gave the green light.

"We were pleased to see our friends in Turkey complete the ratification process just a couple of weeks ago. And we are urging our friends in Hungary to do the same as soon as possible," Smith said.