In dismissing one of the most important treaties in modern history, Trump has indicated that he would not necessarily defend NATO allies if they were attacked.
CLEVELAND —
” During a 45-minute conversation, he explicitly raised new questions about his commitment to automatically defend NATO allies if they are attacked, saying he would first look at their contributions to the alliance. Mr. Trump re-emphasized the hard-line nationalist approach that has marked his improbable candidacy, describing how he would force allies to shoulder defense costs that the United States has borne for decades, cancel longstanding treaties he views as unfavorable, and redefine what it means to be a partner of the United States.
Giving a preview of his address to the convention on Thursday night, he said that he would press the theme of “America First,” his rallying cry for the past four months, and that he was prepared to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada if he could not negotiate radically better terms.
He even called into question whether, as president, he would automatically extend the security guarantees that give the 28 members of NATO the assurance that the full force of the United States military has their back.
For example, asked about Russia’s threatening activities that have unnerved the small Baltic States that are the most recent entrants into NATO, Mr. Trump said that if Russia attacked them, he would decide whether to come to their aid only after reviewing whether those nations “have fulfilled their obligations to us.”
www.nytimes.com/...
The only thing stopping Russia from retaking all of the countries from the former Soviet Union is NATO and the knowledge that the U.S. will use its military power to defend the NATO countries. By Trump stating he might not honor the NATO treaty, he is giving the greeenlight to Putin, to expand his land grab past Ukraine into the rest of Eastern Europe.