The Biggest Mouth In The West

 Trump: I’d encourage Russia to attack allies

Former President Donald Trump said Saturday he’d “encourage” Russia to attack NATO members that failed to “pay their bills”—at once a mischaracterization of how the alliance works and a startling nod to Moscow.

Trump appeared to be alluding to NATO’s longtime goal that each member spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense, which eight out of 31 nations currently do. He had expressed similar sentiments, and apparent misunderstanding, as president.

Allies were quick to criticize Trump’s words, made during a campaign speech on Saturday in South Carolina. “Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the U.S., and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

Even some Republicans condemned the encouragement of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, whose brazen full-scale invasion of Ukraine touched off a land war in Europe.

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One view from across the pond: “This is typical Trump fare. Say something provocative, grab some headlines, outrage your critics and thrill your fans,” writes Frank Gardner, the BBC’s security correspondent. However, he argues, “If a future aggressor, be it Vladimir Putin in Europe or Xi Jinping in the South China Sea, begins to doubt Washington's commitment to defend its allies, then it risks a massive miscalculation.” Indeed, he warns, “You don't have to look far for an example. Two years ago, President Putin's intelligence people told him the West would sit on its hands if he invaded Ukraine. They were wrong—and a catastrophic war has ensued.

Trump’s nod to Moscow recalls the 2020 report “by a Republican-controlled Senate panel that spent three years investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.” It “laid out an extensive web of contacts between Trump campaign advisers and Kremlin officials and other Russians,” the New York Times reported. Those Russians included “at least one intelligence officer and others tied to the country’s spy services.”