Former US president Donald Trump told UK right-wing politician Nigel Farage that if he returned to the White House, he would not pull the United States out of NATO -- as long as the alliance's European partners pay up.
Trump, speaking on the right-wing British broadcaster GB News program on Tuesday, said the US would remain in the defence alliance assuming its partners paid their bills. The former president has repeatedly complained that some in NATO don't pay their way.
"The United States should pay its fair share, not everybody else's fair share," Trump told Farage, adding that otherwise it would not be just and in any case NATO is more important to Europe than to the US.
"It was the most unfair thing and don't forget, it's more important to them," he said.
"We have an ocean in between some problems. Okay. We have a nice big, beautiful ocean," he added, saying "they will take an advantage and they did." He did not specify which countries he was referring to.
In his term in office from 2017 to 2021, Trump repeatedly and openly threatened to withdraw the US from the alliance and raised doubts over NATO's future. He repeatedly questioned whether the US would fulfil its obligation to provide military assistance in an emergency.
Just last month, the Republican presidential candidate caused a stir when he not only said that the US would not protect a NATO member who had not paid its way, but he would encourage Russia "to do whatever the hell" it wanted to with that country.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg responded clearly: "Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines our overall security, including that of the USA, and increases the risk to American and European soldiers."
