NATO is a sacred commitment for the US, President Joe Biden has said as he slammed predecessor Donald Trump for his recent remarks on the 74-year-old military alliance. Biden told reporters at a White House news conference on Tuesday, \u201cWhen America gives its word, it means something. When we make a commitment, we keep it. And NATO is a sacred commitment. Donald Trump looks at this as if it\u2019s a burden.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he looks at NATO, he doesn\u2019t see the alliance that protects America and the world. He sees a protection racket. He doesn\u2019t understand that NATO is built on the fundamental principles of freedom, security, and national sovereignty,\u201d he added. Speaking at a rally in South Carolina during the weekend, Trump said he would ask NATO allies to increase their defence spending or else encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade those nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t pay? You\u2019re delinquent? No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills,\u201d Trump said. Trump, who is the frontrunner for the Republican Party\u2019s nomination, has called for NATO members to devote two per cent of their gross domestic product to defence.<\/p>\n
In response, Biden said, \u201cBecause, for Trump, principles never matter. Everything is transactional. He doesn\u2019t understand that the sacred commitment we\u2019ve given works for us as well. In fact, I would remind Trump and all those who would walk away from NATO, Article 5 has only been invoked once, just once in our NATO history, and it was done to stand with America after we were attacked on 9\/11.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should never forget it. You know, our adversaries have long sought to create cracks in the alliance,\u201d he added. Under Article 5 of NATO\u2019s mutual defence clause, all allies commit to help any member who comes under attack. The article has only ever been invoked once \u2014 by the US following the attacks of September 11, 2001.<\/p>\n
Biden said, \u201cThe greatest hope of all those who wish America harm is for NATO to fall apart. And you can be sure that they all cheered when they heard Donald Trump and heard what he said. I know this. I will not walk away. I can\u2019t imagine any other president walking away. For as long as I\u2019m president, if Putin attacks a NATO ally, the United States will defend every inch of NATO territory.\u201d<\/p>\n
The US president also described those remarks as shameful and \u201cun-American.\u201d \u201cThe former president (Trump) has sent a dangerous and shockingly frankly un-American signal to the world. Just a few days ago, Trump gave an invitation to Putin to invade some of our allies, NATO allies. He said if an ally didn\u2019t spend enough money on defence, he would encourage Russia to, quote, do whatever the hell they want end of quote,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you imagine a former president of the United States saying that? The whole world heard it. The worst thing is he means it. No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Let me say this as clearly as I can. I never will. For God\u2019s sake, it\u2019s dumb, it\u2019s shameful, it\u2019s dangerous, it\u2019s un-American,\u201d Biden said. Nikki Haley, Trump\u2019s rival for the Republican presidential nomination, also slammed the former president for his comments.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t take the side of a thug who kills his opponents. Don\u2019t take the side of someone who has gone in and invaded a country, and half a million people have died or been wounded because of Putin. Don\u2019t take the side of someone who continues to lie. I dealt with Russia every day. The last thing we ever want to do is side with Russia,\u201d she told CBS in an interview on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do want NATO allies to pull their weight but there are ways you can do that without sitting there and telling Russia, \u2018Have your way with these countries\u2019. If you notice, Russia has never invaded a NATO country. They\u2019ve invaded Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. They are actually very intimidated by NATO. NATO allows us to prevent war,\u201d Haley had said.<\/p>\n
White House Spokesperson Andrew Bates said Biden has restored alliances and made the US stronger because he knows every commander-in-chief\u2019s first responsibility is to keep the American people safe and hold true to the values that unite them. He said, \u201cThanks to President Biden\u2019s experienced leadership, NATO is now the largest and most vital it has ever been. Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged \u2014 and it endangers American national security, global stability, and our economy at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bates added, \u201cRather than calling for wars and promoting deranged chaos, President Biden will continue to bolster American leadership and stand up for our national security interests \u2014 not against them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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