Donald Trump has warned Members of NATO they will be “on their own” unless they increase their defense spending if he wins a second term.
The former American president and the 2024 candidate said his message to the military alliance was: “If you're not going to pay, then you're on your own.”
Mr Trump, who has long complained that the US carries an excessive financial burden within NATO, has previously questioned Article Five of the treaty, the alliance's principle of collective defense.
Earlier this year, he went further by suggesting that Russia “could do whatever they want” against NATO allies who have not spent enough on collective defense.
In a wide-ranging interview with Time Magazine published on Tuesday, Trump said he stood by the comments.
The 77-year-old said that if he were to regain the White House in the November election, continued US aid to Ukraine would be conditional on Europe matching contributions.
Washington has sent more than $100 billion to Ukraine so far, backed by Joe Biden and bipartisan support in Congress.
'We have an ocean, they don't'
Trump did not say whether he would cut off all U.S. funding, but said: “I wouldn't give unless Europe starts leveling out.”
“If Europe is not going to pay, why should we pay? They are hit much harder. There is an ocean between us. They don't do that,” he said.
NATO allies agreed this month to secure a long-term package for Ukraine, which some alliance diplomats believe could be done through a “Trump-proof” five-year $100 billion fund.
Trump also indicated he would reconsider America's long-standing military support for some allies if he wins a second term.
He suggested he might withdraw U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against Kim Jong-Un's regime.
Trump said the current setup “doesn't make any sense.” “Why should we defend anyone? And we are talking about a very prosperous country,” he told Time.
When it comes to the Middle East, Trump said he would defend Israel if the country were attacked by Iran.
But he criticized Benjamin Netanyahu's approach to his war against Hamas, and the Israeli prime minister's failure to prevent the terror group's Oct. 7 attack. “It happened on his watch,” Trump said.
He declined to rule out withholding US military aid to Israel to force an end to the conflict, but suggested he does not support the push for a Palestinian state.
“There was a time when I thought two states could work,” he said. “Now I think two-state is going to be very, very difficult.”