The head of the Western military alliance has stated that the implication that the US will not protect Nato partners if they do not spend enough on defense "undermines all of our security" due to Trump's statements.
According to Jens Stoltenberg, it also increased the danger for American and European soldiers.
The Republican claimed he had threatened to "encourage" Russia to strike any NATO member that did not achieve the alliance's second-goal objective of 2% of GDP.
The member states of NATO have vowed to protect any member state that comes under attack.
U.S. President Joe Biden condemned President Trump's remarks, calling them "appalling and dangerous," and implying that Trump's predecessor wanted to signal to Putin that the United States was willing to increase military aggression.
Mr. Trump told the South Carolina rallygoers on Saturday that he had already spoken his mind about Russia at a prior gathering of NATO heads of state.
A "big country" leader, according to the ex-president, had once proposed a hypothetical scenario in which he was under assault from Moscow because he was unable to pay his Nato financial obligations.
He explained that he had to reprimand the leader since the latter had inquired whether the United States would help his country in that situation.
'You didn't pay?' I asked. So, you're a kidnapper?I would actually encourage them to do what they want, not protect you. The price is on you.
Comments from Trump on NATO: Risky rhetoric at a risky moment
No one could tell when or which country the Republican presidential nominee was referring to, and he certainly didn't specify which leader he was referring to.
Nineteen of NATO's thirty member states are not allocating enough funds to meet the defense spending goal of two percent of GDP in 2023. This includes France, Norway, and Germany.
However, the majority of countries that share borders with Russia, Belarus, or Ukraine are ignoring this rule.
Poland spends more than the United States at more than 3.9% of its GDP each year. Defense budgets of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, as well as Romania and Hungary, vary between 2.3% and 2.7%.
According to Mr. Stoltenberg's statement from Sunday, the alliance is prepared to defend its members and will respond forcefully in the event of an attack.
However, he claimed that the idea that "allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security" and that Mr. Trump's comments "put American and European soldiers at increased risk."
"I expect that regardless of who wins the presidential election the US will remain a strong and committed Nato ally," according to him.
Could you please explain NATO and the member nations?
In response to Mr. Stoltenberg's remarks, US President Joe Biden voiced his deep concern over President Trump's stated intentions: "Donald Trump’s admission that he intends to give Putin a green light for more war and violence, to continue his brutal assault against a free Ukraine, and to expand his aggression to the people of Poland and the Baltic states, [is] appalling and dangerous."
In an interview with CBS News, a US partner of the BBC, Nikki Haley—the sole Republican candidate still vying for the nomination against Mr. Trump—decried Mr. Putin as a "thug who kills his opponents" and advised against aligning oneself with Russia.
Mr. Trump has long voiced his disapproval of NATO and the idea that the US should shoulder the burden of protecting 30 other countries militarily.
An specialist on defense and security who has worked as a Nato analyst in the past, Dr. Patrick Bury, told the BBC that Mr. Trump was expressing American frustration that not all NATO member states were allocating 2% of their budgets to military spending.
Depending on how far you push things, playing hardball with NATO allies is the right move. "These remarks are really excessive," he stated.
However, he did mention that these kinds of remarks were significant given that Russia had already placed its economy on a war footing and was spending more on defense than European nations.
In theory, article five should be triggered if, while Trump is in office, there is a division within NATO over either Ukraine or the response to a minor incursion. These "what-ifs" are what the NATO alliance is concerned about, he added.
In 2022, upon Mr. Trump's departure from office, Russia initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Afterwards, he expressed his displeasure with the amount of US aid going to Ukraine, a country that is not a member of NATO.
White House data from December shows that the United States has given more financial aid to Ukraine than any other nation, amounting to almost $44 billion (£34 billion) since the invasion in 2022.
Nevertheless, since the beginning of the year, Republicans in Congress have prevented any more financing by demanding strong restrictions to limit immigration into the US through its southern border. Earlier this week, they rejected the revised package that had been offered to them.
During his rally on Saturday, Mr. Trump said that President Biden's ideas had been "disastrous" and applauded the rejection.
Now that the two concerns have been effectively separated, senators can discuss the aid money in their own right.
According to Jens Stoltenberg, it also increased the danger for American and European soldiers.
The Republican claimed he had threatened to "encourage" Russia to strike any NATO member that did not achieve the alliance's second-goal objective of 2% of GDP.
The member states of NATO have vowed to protect any member state that comes under attack.
U.S. President Joe Biden condemned President Trump's remarks, calling them "appalling and dangerous," and implying that Trump's predecessor wanted to signal to Putin that the United States was willing to increase military aggression.
Mr. Trump told the South Carolina rallygoers on Saturday that he had already spoken his mind about Russia at a prior gathering of NATO heads of state.
A "big country" leader, according to the ex-president, had once proposed a hypothetical scenario in which he was under assault from Moscow because he was unable to pay his Nato financial obligations.
He explained that he had to reprimand the leader since the latter had inquired whether the United States would help his country in that situation.
'You didn't pay?' I asked. So, you're a kidnapper?I would actually encourage them to do what they want, not protect you. The price is on you.
Comments from Trump on NATO: Risky rhetoric at a risky moment
No one could tell when or which country the Republican presidential nominee was referring to, and he certainly didn't specify which leader he was referring to.
Nineteen of NATO's thirty member states are not allocating enough funds to meet the defense spending goal of two percent of GDP in 2023. This includes France, Norway, and Germany.
However, the majority of countries that share borders with Russia, Belarus, or Ukraine are ignoring this rule.
Poland spends more than the United States at more than 3.9% of its GDP each year. Defense budgets of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, as well as Romania and Hungary, vary between 2.3% and 2.7%.
According to Mr. Stoltenberg's statement from Sunday, the alliance is prepared to defend its members and will respond forcefully in the event of an attack.
However, he claimed that the idea that "allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security" and that Mr. Trump's comments "put American and European soldiers at increased risk."
"I expect that regardless of who wins the presidential election the US will remain a strong and committed Nato ally," according to him.
Could you please explain NATO and the member nations?
In response to Mr. Stoltenberg's remarks, US President Joe Biden voiced his deep concern over President Trump's stated intentions: "Donald Trump’s admission that he intends to give Putin a green light for more war and violence, to continue his brutal assault against a free Ukraine, and to expand his aggression to the people of Poland and the Baltic states, [is] appalling and dangerous."
In an interview with CBS News, a US partner of the BBC, Nikki Haley—the sole Republican candidate still vying for the nomination against Mr. Trump—decried Mr. Putin as a "thug who kills his opponents" and advised against aligning oneself with Russia.
Mr. Trump has long voiced his disapproval of NATO and the idea that the US should shoulder the burden of protecting 30 other countries militarily.
An specialist on defense and security who has worked as a Nato analyst in the past, Dr. Patrick Bury, told the BBC that Mr. Trump was expressing American frustration that not all NATO member states were allocating 2% of their budgets to military spending.
Depending on how far you push things, playing hardball with NATO allies is the right move. "These remarks are really excessive," he stated.
However, he did mention that these kinds of remarks were significant given that Russia had already placed its economy on a war footing and was spending more on defense than European nations.
In theory, article five should be triggered if, while Trump is in office, there is a division within NATO over either Ukraine or the response to a minor incursion. These "what-ifs" are what the NATO alliance is concerned about, he added.
In 2022, upon Mr. Trump's departure from office, Russia initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Afterwards, he expressed his displeasure with the amount of US aid going to Ukraine, a country that is not a member of NATO.
White House data from December shows that the United States has given more financial aid to Ukraine than any other nation, amounting to almost $44 billion (£34 billion) since the invasion in 2022.
Nevertheless, since the beginning of the year, Republicans in Congress have prevented any more financing by demanding strong restrictions to limit immigration into the US through its southern border. Earlier this week, they rejected the revised package that had been offered to them.
During his rally on Saturday, Mr. Trump said that President Biden's ideas had been "disastrous" and applauded the rejection.
Now that the two concerns have been effectively separated, senators can discuss the aid money in their own right.