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Donald Trump warned that the US would not help if Europe is attacked, according to EU Commissioner Thierry Breton.
The move was made during a frosty meeting with Ursula von der Leyen in 2020.
– And by the way, NATO is dead. We will leave NATO, Trump is said to have said.
Despite ongoing lawsuits, Donald Trump is expected to give Joe Biden a tough match for the presidency.
Which means that Europe must strengthen its own defense capabilities, according to EU Commissioner Thierry Breton.
The top diplomat referred to a tense meeting in 2020 where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met then-President Trump.
– You have to understand. If Europe is under attack, we will never help you, Trump told von der Leyen, according to Breton.
– And by the way, NATO is dead. We will leave NATO. And by the way, you owe me $400 billion for not paying for defense.
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full screenDonald Trump. Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP
“Now we are alone”
Breton believes that you cannot count on US support if Trump wins and calls on the EU to establish a defense fund of 100 billion dollars to increase arms production.
– He might come back and it’s a real wake-up call. Now we know, more than ever, that we are alone. Of course, almost all of us are members of NATO. But we have no other option but to drastically speed this up to be ready, whatever happens.
Within 18 months, he expects the EU to be able to have a weapons production that is on par with Russia’s.
– It is extremely important for the EU to have the same capacity, he says.