The former president doesn\u2019t believe that bloc members will honor their commitments<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NATO will not come to the rescue if the US is attacked, former President Donald Trump warned on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to a crowd of supporters at a campaign event in Las Vegas, Nevada, Trump continued his criticizm of the Western military bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re paying for NATO, and we don\u2019t get so much out of it,\u201d he claimed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd you know \u2013 I hate to tell you this about NATO \u2013 if we ever needed their help, let\u2019s say we were attacked, I don\u2019t believe they\u2019d be there,\u201d the former president said. \u201cI know the people,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Article 5 of the NATO Charter, an armed attack against one member state must be considered an attack against all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement follows a long history of complaints leveled by Trump at the US-led bloc during and after his presidency. He famously ruffled many feathers in Brussels by claiming in 2017 that NATO was \u201cobsolete.\u201d He later repeatedly chastised Germany and other American allies for not spending enough on defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, Trump criticized President Joe Biden for providing military aid to Ukraine during its conflict with Russia. \u201cWe don\u2019t have ammunition for ourselves, [yet] we\u2019re giving away so much,\u201d he said last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump also promised to end the fighting between Moscow and Kiev within \u201c24 hours\u201d and restore peace in the region if re-elected. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, however, said that Trump\u2019s claim was unrealistic. Asked by NBC News in November if he believed that Trump would continue supporting Ukraine, Zelensky replied: \u201cReally, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump remains the frontrunner for the Republican Party\u2019s nomination as their candidate against Biden. This month, he comfortably came first in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, prompting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to drop out. Former US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, is now Trump\u2019s<\/p>\n\n\n\n