Trump: Aggressive People of Montenegro Could Spark World War III

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, criticized NATO again, stating that Montenegro's membership in the alliance, which has 'aggressive people', could lead to World War III. In an interview with Fox News aired on Tuesday night, July 16, U.S. time, he once again criticized NATO, questioning why the U.S. should bear the cost of defending Europe while the European Union imposes tariffs against American interests. In the interview, Fox News host Tucker Carlson asked Trump why his son should go to war to defend Montenegro (against Russia). Trump responded, 'I understand what you’re saying. I asked the same question (at the NATO summit).' The U.S. President added, 'Montenegro is a small country with very strong people. They are very strong people. They are very aggressive people. They may get aggressive, and I congratulate them! [Then] you are in World War III.' Last year, Trump's actions at the NATO summit, where he pushed Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, received widespread attention on social media and in the media. Montenegro, one of the republics that separated from the former Yugoslavia, declared independence in 2006 and joined NATO in 2017. Montenegro has accused Russia of interfering in its elections, and the failed coup attempt in 2016 has also been attributed to forces close to Moscow. Article 5 of the NATO treaty obligates member countries to collective defense in the event of an attack on one of them. In response to the U.S. President's remarks, a NATO official issued a statement calling collective defense a 'unconditional and inviolable' principle of NATO, stating, 'An attack on one is an attack on all.' The NATO official, whose name was not mentioned by the German news agency, also reminded that Trump emphasized the U.S. commitment to NATO at the NATO summit in Brussels. This official noted that after the September 11 attacks, hundreds of thousands of Europeans and Canadians stood alongside American soldiers, and more than a thousand lost their lives. After the September 11 attacks, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time to attack the Taliban in Afghanistan alongside American forces. During his recent trip to Europe, Trump attended the NATO summit in Brussels. At this summit, he criticized countries that have not adhered to the 2% of GDP quota in the alliance's budget, calling for a doubling of the defense budgets of member countries. Germany was the primary target of Trump's criticism at the NATO summit. During this trip, Trump also referred to the European Union as an 'enemy' that, according to him, imposes tariffs against American products. Trump's relations and his secret talks with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, the President of Russia, have also faced significant criticism both domestically and internationally.