Earlier on the same day, Trump spoke to his supporters in South Carolina and recounted a meeting with high-level representatives of the North Atlantic Alliance. According to the words of the former White House chief, one of the presidents of a «major country» asked Trump if the United States would defend that country in the event of a Russian attack. The American politician, he said, responded that if NATO budget contributions were not paid, he would not come to the defense of the country under attack and would even «encourage» the attacking side «to do whatever it wants.»
Once again vying for the highest state office in the United States, Trump has threatened to withdraw from NATO during his presidency. In addition, the American politician has called on countries to increase their contributions to the North Atlantic Alliance budget to four percent of gross domestic product.