On March 22, while talking with The Washington Post’s editorial board members and then in a speech before the American-Israeli Public Relations Committee (AIPAC), Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump questioned the need for the NATO, which has formed the basis of Western security policy since the Cold War. In particular, he urged the US to cut NATO spending, which he said “is costing us a fortune.” Moreover, he also accused the US’ NATO allies of doing nothing to counter Russian aggression in Ukraine. He said it despite the fact that it was the US, not Europe who signed the Budapest Memorandum and guaranteed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in exchange for the transfer of the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. “Ukraine is a country that affects us far less than it affects other countries in NATO, and yet we are doing all of the lifting, they are not doing anything. Why is it that Germany is not dealing with NATO on Ukraine? Why are we always the one that is leading, potentially the third world war with Russia?” Trump was quoted as saying by The Washington Post.
COMMENTARIES
John HERBST, former US Ambassador to Ukraine, member of the Atlantic Council, Washington, D.C.:
“Mr. Trump’s statements on NATO and Ukraine represent both an isolationist inclination and little understanding of the importance of American leadership in NATO and Europe. It is American leadership and support that ensured a stable peace in Europe since 1945.”
Steven PIFER, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center on the United States and Europe:
“For those who were looking for some specifics regarding Mr. Trump’s foreign policy views, his interview with The Washington Post cannot be reassuring. His comments on NATO suggest that he undervalues the Alliance’s contribution to American and trans-Atlantic security, particularly at a time when the Kremlin has adopted a more bellicose stance toward the West. His remarks on Germany’s role, NATO, and the issue of sanctions in the Ukraine-Russia indicate that he has not followed that question very closely.”
