NEW YORK: Republican front-runner Donald Trump said Saturday that, as president, he warned NATO allies that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent” as he ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances.
Speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump recounted a story he has told before about an unidentified NATO member who confronted him over his threat not to defend members who fail to meet the trans-Atlantic alliance’s defense spending targets.
But this time, Trump went further, saying had told the member that he would, in fact, “encourage” Russia to do as it wishes in that case.
“‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” Trump recounted saying. “‘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.’”
NATO allies agreed in 2014, after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, to halt the spending cuts they had made after the Cold War and move toward spending 2 percent of their GDPs on defense by 2024.
Trump’s comments come as Ukraine remains mired in its efforts to stave off Russia’s 2022 invasion and as Republicans in Congress have become increasingly skeptical of providing additional aid money to the country as it struggles with stalled counteroffensives and weapons shortfalls.
They also come as Trump and his team are increasingly confident he will lock up the nomination in the coming weeks following commanding victories in the first votes of the 2024 Republican nominating calendar.
Earlier Saturday, Trump called for the end of foreign aid “WITHOUT “STRINGS” ATTACHED,” arguing that the US should dramatically curtail the way it provides money.
“FROM THIS POINT FORWARD, ARE YOU LISTENING US SENATE(?), NO MONEY IN THE FORM OF FOREIGN AID SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ANY COUNTRY UNLESS IT IS DONE AS A LOAN, NOT JUST A GIVEAWAY,” Trump wrote on his social media network in all-caps letters.
Trump went on to say the money could be loaned “ON EXTRAORDINARILY GOOD TERMS,” with no interest and no date for repayment. But he said that, “IF THE COUNTRY WE ARE HELPING EVER TURNS AGAINST US, OR STRIKES IT RICH SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE, THE LOAN WILL BE PAID OFF AND THE MONEY RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES.”
During his 2016 campaign, Trump alarmed Western allies by warning that the United States, under his leadership, might abandon its NATO treaty commitments and only come to the defense of countries that meet the alliance’s guidelines by committing 2 percent of their gross domestic products to military spending.
Trump, as president, eventually endorsed NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause, which states that an armed attack against one or more of its members shall be considered an attack against all members. But he often depicted NATO allies as leeches on the US military and openly questioned the value of the military alliance that has defined American foreign policy for decades.
As of 2022, NATO reported that seven of what are now 31 NATO member countries were meeting that obligation — up from three in 2014. Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has spurred additional military spending by some NATO members.
Trump has often tried to take credit for that increase, and bragged again Saturday that, as a result of his threats, “hundreds of billions of dollars came into NATO”— even though countries do not pay NATO directly.
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Trump says he warned NATO ally: Spend more on defense or Russia can ‘do whatever the hell they want’
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Trump says he warned NATO ally: Spend more on defense or Russia can ‘do whatever the hell they want’
- Trump, as president, often depicted NATO allies as leeches on the US military and openly questioned the value of the military alliance that has defined American foreign policy for decades
France’s homeless wrap up to survive at freezing year’s end
PARIS: In the biting cold, homeless friends Danish and Sylvain walked briskly in the dark toward a hot meal distribution point, rubbing their hands together, their huge backpacks weighing down on their shoulders.
“If you stop, the cold seeps into your bones. As long as we’re walking, we’re producing heat,” said 50-year-old Danish, a Pakistani who asked to withhold his surname to avoid embarrassing his France-based family.
Temperatures in France have dropped in recent weeks and are expected to hover around zero in many areas on New Year’s Eve.
Several French regions including Paris have increased shelter beds to help the homeless, but reports have already emerged of some appearing to have frozen to death.
Sylvain, 52, said he and his companion checked the weather forecast on their phones every night to best prepare.
The Frenchman, who also did not want to give his surname to protect his three children, said he wore six layers on his chest — a t-shirt, a jumper, a fleece, a waistcoat and two jackets.
“The trick is to let air between the layers. If it’s too tight, there’s not much isolation,” he said.
He also wears tights and two pairs of socks, and he tops it all off with a beanie, a cap and a furry hat with flaps.
“You lose heat through the top of your head,” he said.
Neither he, nor his companion Danish, drink alcohol, he said.
“It makes you numb so you don’t know when you’re cold, and you can slip away during the night,” Sylvain said.
- ‘Sleep without fear’ -
This winter has already proven deadly.
A homeless man was found lifeless in a Paris street on Sunday, likely having frozen to death, a police source said. He had been staying in a nearby shelter.
On Christmas day, a 35-year-old homeless person was found dead in the northern city of Reims, a prosecutor said.
There are no recent official figures on homelessness in France. But the Housing Foundation, a charity, estimates 350,000 people do not have a permanent home — including 20,000 who sleep rough nationwide. Many in Paris are undocumented migrants.
More than 900 people without a home died throughout the year in 2024, on average aged 47, according to a charity called Dead in the Street.
Paris authorities say they have set up emergency shelters in sports halls and schools to help during the cold wave, while charities too have added beds to their facilities.
At a charity-run shelter in Paris, which provides bedding for more than 370 people on seven floors, volunteers have been handing out hot meals.
Nakunzi Fumiasuca, a 36-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said he had been living in a tent until he was offered a bed.
“Here I can sleep without fear,” he said.
Taha Nouri, a 32-year-old who arrived in France from Libya in 2021, came after the charity brought him in, telling him he could stay for a week.
“I was able to have a shower, eat well, see a doctor and get medicine,” he said.
But Danish and Sylvain say their calls to a hotline to request shelter never go through.
Instead they have been sleeping rough in one of the main train stations in Paris — always trying to watch out that no one steals their blanket.
“When you have one stolen and it’s cold, it’s a disaster,” said Sylvain. “Your only option is to ride the night bus around Paris until dawn.”
- ‘Time stopped’ -
Danish said he came to France with his father three decades ago and was working as a waiter, but ended up in the street after a dispute with his boss three months ago.
“I’m deeply ashamed sometimes,” he said. “I don’t want my family to see me like this.”
Sylvain said he worked as a cleaner for 15 years before a painful separation from his wife in 2022 pushed him into the street.
When he left, his three children were eight, 12 and 16, he said.
“Time stopped,” he said.
He speaks to them on the phone every week, but tells them he is “staying with a friend.”
Until they can find a solution, the two men plan their lives around the capital’s free food distributions.
Keeping clean is difficult as public bathrooms are often closed or out of hot water, Sylvain said.
But Danish insisted they do their best with cold water.
Sometimes there are good surprises. Last week, a charity handed Sylvain what he said was “a real present.”
“It had everything: a hat, toothpaste, cotton buds and even perfume — not the cheap kind,” he said.
But at the weekend, Sylvain said, he had to rip out two teeth himself to stop a throbbing toothache.
“I gave them a good yank and now it’s sorted,” he said.
“If you stop, the cold seeps into your bones. As long as we’re walking, we’re producing heat,” said 50-year-old Danish, a Pakistani who asked to withhold his surname to avoid embarrassing his France-based family.
Temperatures in France have dropped in recent weeks and are expected to hover around zero in many areas on New Year’s Eve.
Several French regions including Paris have increased shelter beds to help the homeless, but reports have already emerged of some appearing to have frozen to death.
Sylvain, 52, said he and his companion checked the weather forecast on their phones every night to best prepare.
The Frenchman, who also did not want to give his surname to protect his three children, said he wore six layers on his chest — a t-shirt, a jumper, a fleece, a waistcoat and two jackets.
“The trick is to let air between the layers. If it’s too tight, there’s not much isolation,” he said.
He also wears tights and two pairs of socks, and he tops it all off with a beanie, a cap and a furry hat with flaps.
“You lose heat through the top of your head,” he said.
Neither he, nor his companion Danish, drink alcohol, he said.
“It makes you numb so you don’t know when you’re cold, and you can slip away during the night,” Sylvain said.
- ‘Sleep without fear’ -
This winter has already proven deadly.
A homeless man was found lifeless in a Paris street on Sunday, likely having frozen to death, a police source said. He had been staying in a nearby shelter.
On Christmas day, a 35-year-old homeless person was found dead in the northern city of Reims, a prosecutor said.
There are no recent official figures on homelessness in France. But the Housing Foundation, a charity, estimates 350,000 people do not have a permanent home — including 20,000 who sleep rough nationwide. Many in Paris are undocumented migrants.
More than 900 people without a home died throughout the year in 2024, on average aged 47, according to a charity called Dead in the Street.
Paris authorities say they have set up emergency shelters in sports halls and schools to help during the cold wave, while charities too have added beds to their facilities.
At a charity-run shelter in Paris, which provides bedding for more than 370 people on seven floors, volunteers have been handing out hot meals.
Nakunzi Fumiasuca, a 36-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said he had been living in a tent until he was offered a bed.
“Here I can sleep without fear,” he said.
Taha Nouri, a 32-year-old who arrived in France from Libya in 2021, came after the charity brought him in, telling him he could stay for a week.
“I was able to have a shower, eat well, see a doctor and get medicine,” he said.
But Danish and Sylvain say their calls to a hotline to request shelter never go through.
Instead they have been sleeping rough in one of the main train stations in Paris — always trying to watch out that no one steals their blanket.
“When you have one stolen and it’s cold, it’s a disaster,” said Sylvain. “Your only option is to ride the night bus around Paris until dawn.”
- ‘Time stopped’ -
Danish said he came to France with his father three decades ago and was working as a waiter, but ended up in the street after a dispute with his boss three months ago.
“I’m deeply ashamed sometimes,” he said. “I don’t want my family to see me like this.”
Sylvain said he worked as a cleaner for 15 years before a painful separation from his wife in 2022 pushed him into the street.
When he left, his three children were eight, 12 and 16, he said.
“Time stopped,” he said.
He speaks to them on the phone every week, but tells them he is “staying with a friend.”
Until they can find a solution, the two men plan their lives around the capital’s free food distributions.
Keeping clean is difficult as public bathrooms are often closed or out of hot water, Sylvain said.
But Danish insisted they do their best with cold water.
Sometimes there are good surprises. Last week, a charity handed Sylvain what he said was “a real present.”
“It had everything: a hat, toothpaste, cotton buds and even perfume — not the cheap kind,” he said.
But at the weekend, Sylvain said, he had to rip out two teeth himself to stop a throbbing toothache.
“I gave them a good yank and now it’s sorted,” he said.
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