Donald Trump, 77, is running for president once again despite his legal problems
Former President Donald Trump's stance on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has officials in Germany worried about the survival of the military alliance that emerged in the wake of the Cold War.
A report in New York Times He said German officials are worried about what would happen if the United States withdrew from the alliance after Donald Trump takes office.
The 77-year-old is once again running for president despite his legal troubles.
He has been ahead of his Republican presidential contenders in securing the party's nomination by recently winning both primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire.
The former president, addressing supporters in Nevada, said last month that “we're paying for NATO and we're not getting much out of it.”
Trump had said: “And you know, I hate to tell you this about NATO, if we ever needed their help, let's say we were attacked, I don't think they would be there. I know the people.”
The business magnate has repeatedly criticized NATO's role in favor of the United States, calling it obsolete in 2017.
In an article published on Saturday, the New York Times He stated that German officials are worried about NATO if Trump withdraws the United States.
The report also underscored the United States' idea of achieving, rather than revitalizing, a renewed sense of commitment to the alliance in the wake of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
“Their immediate concern is the growing pessimism that the United States will continue to fund Ukraine's fight,” the report underlines, referring to the delayed Ukraine military aid bill that has been in limbo in Congress.
In a New York Times report published in December, several EU officials and think tank representatives met with Trump associates to ask if he planned to withdraw the United States.
That same month, Trump's former Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, said MSNBC that, if re-elected, the business magnate “would withdraw his support for Ukraine.”
“Their next step would be to start pulling us out of NATO, and certainly pulling troops out of NATO countries,” the former secretary said.
Last week, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said political that he is not worried that the United States will withdraw if the criminally accused former president assumes responsibilities in the White House.
“I am confident that the United States will remain a staunch ally no matter who wins,” Stoltenberg said, adding that “I worked with former President Trump for all four years he was president.”
The NATO chief also highlighted the division in support for NATO in Congress.
Stoltenberg has said that Trump's criticism was not really directed at the alliance, but at individual countries that have not fulfilled their 2014 promise to spend 2% of their GDP on defense by 2024.
The NATO Secretary General said: “It is important to listen because the criticism is not criticism of NATO but not investing enough in NATO.”
“NATO is a good deal for the United States,” Stoltenberg said.
