US President Joe Biden said that the leaders of NATO member states respect him because they are afraid of the possible election victory of former US leader Donald Trump. He expressed this opinion at a Democratic Party presidential campaign fundraising event in New York.
“Again, it’s not an exaggeration, think about it. This is the guy [Trump] who [talked] about withdrawing from NATO. He told [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that he can do whatever he wants if they [NATO members] don’t pay their dues. Just look at what he did. The rest of the world is wondering what the hell is going on with the United States. I think they respect me, I think they listen to me. But the fact is, it’s because they’re scared to death for their countries if he wins again,” Biden emphasized.
The transcript of his speech was distributed by the White House press service.
On 10 February, Trump, during a speech before supporters in the state of South Carolina, told about one of his meetings with leaders of NATO member states. According to him, then one of his foreign colleagues asked him if the US was ready to defend the alliance in case of an allegedly possible threat from Russia if any of the allies would not pay contributions for collective defense in NATO. Trump replied that he would not defend such a country and would encourage Russia to “do whatever” it wants. The former president did not specify when, where and with whom this conversation took place.