Trump's NATO Comments 'Dangerous', Biden Admin Says

The Biden administration on Monday condemned a suggestion from Donald Trump that the U.S. could refuse to protect NATO allies that failed to keep spending commitments on defence, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

".. You heard the President [Biden] speak to this over the weekend and make clear that any suggestion that encouraging Russia to invade our allies and partners are dangerous, and I would obviously echo that from here," State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

Miller went on to add, "... And I would just say, as we often say, that the NATO Alliance provides actual security to the American people. This isn’t just a benefit – this isn’t just an Alliance that the United States puts into; we also get a lot out of this Alliance."

The spokesperson reminded that the only time that NATO has ever come to the defense of one of its member countries, it was coming to the defense of the United States after 9/11. 

"And so we have been heartened by the broad support for NATO from the American people.  We have been heartened by the broad support for NATO from Congress," Miller concluded.

NATO members have a defence spending target of at least 2% of GDP, although only 11 out of 31 of them are reportedly spending that much.

Should he regain the White House, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said he would let Russia "do whatever the hell they want" to members deemed not to be paying enough. Both U.S. Democrats and some Republicans were quick to condemn him over the weekend, though most of his allies weren’t concerned by his remarks.