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Trump Trashes 70 Years of U.S. Foreign Policy in NATO Attack

  • Republican nominee says U.S. may not defend states from attack
  • NATO treaty is clear: ‘If you’re attacked, we’ll be there”
Donald Trump, presumptive Republican presidential nominee, speaks during the Western Conservative Summit in Denver on July 1, 2016.

Donald Trump, presumptive Republican presidential nominee, speaks during the Western Conservative Summit in Denver on July 1, 2016.

Photographer: Matthew Staver/Bloomberg
By
Nick Wadhams and Bradley Saacks
Updated on

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump trashed seven decades of U.S. policy toward Europe in one interview that left foreign policy experts and some in his party saying his approach could embolden Russia and make the world more dangerous.

By questioning whether the U.S. would defend its NATO allies equally, Trump appeared to be rolling back the alliance’s front lines further from Russia’s borders and providing a boost to President Vladimir Putin, two years after the Russian leader sent troops and armed supporters into Crimea and Ukraine.