On NATO’s 75th anniversary, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) praised Democrats for their work on the alliance after former President Donald Trump “weakened” it.
“After being deeply weakened by the former President, we’ve rebuilt this critical alliance, but its continued strength relies on us keeping our word and renewing aid to Ukraine,” Warner stated.
Under the Biden administration, Ukraine has received $75 billion in assistance for humanitarian, financial, and military support.
The hefty amount of aid has garnered criticism from Trump, who allegedly told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of his intentions to end aid legislation to Ukraine.
“He will not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war,” Orban said. “That is why the war will end.”
In February, Trump said he would not protect NATO countries that didn’t contribute enough money to their defense funds. He also said he would let Russia “do whatever the hell they want to them.”
“You don’t pay your bills, you get no protection. It’s very simple,” Trump said at a campaign event in Conway, South Carolina. “Hundreds of billions of dollars came into NATO, and that’s why they have money.”
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Trump’s comments have struck fear in lawmakers and NATO officials, who are currently looking at “Trump-proofing” the sending of weapons and aid to Ukraine so that if Trump won the 2024 election, he would be unable to end the dealings.
“There’s a feeling among, not the whole group but a part of the NATO group, that thinks it is better to institutionalize the process just in case of a Trump re-election,” Jim Townsend, a former Pentagon and NATO official, told Politico. “And that’s something that the U.S. is going to have to get used to hearing because that is a fear and a legitimate one.”
