By Liz Moyer and Janet H. Cho
DOW JONES–U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he would consider withdrawing the U.S. from NATO if the alliance’s members fail to pay their bills. If these member states “treat us fairly, the answer is that I would definitely stay in NATO,” Trump said in an interview with NBC. But when NBC host Kristen Welker asked him whether he would withdraw from the alliance if that condition was not met, Trump said: “Absolutely, yes, absolutely.”
Trump, who said during his campaign that he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, said he was actively working on it but declined to clarify whether he had agreed with the Russian president since the election Vladimir Putin has spoken. He claimed that if he had been president, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s war against Hamas would never have happened. Asked whether Ukraine would expect less aid from the United States under his administration, Trump said: “Possibly.”
On his Truth Social platform, Trump called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and said negotiations should begin. In his post he made reference to the overthrow of the Syrian government, which was supported by Russia. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly fled to Moscow with his family and received asylum in Russia.
Contact the author: [email protected]
DJG/DJN/apo/mgo
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 09, 2024 01:05 ET (06:05 GMT)