Trump said he would encourage russia to attack NATO allies who pay little

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is seeking re-election, said he would "encourage" russia to attack any of the U.S.'s NATO allies who default on their financial obligations, The Guardian reports.

Trump made the announcement Saturday during a campaign rally in Conway, South Carolina, ahead of the Feb. 24 Republican presidential primary.

Trump has expressed concerns about aid to Ukraine, as well as the existence of NATO, the 31-nation alliance that the United States has pledged to defend if necessary.

On Saturday, Trump said that during some NATO meeting, he told another head of state that the United States, under his leadership, would not defend any country that was a "trespasser."

"One of the presidents of a great country stood up and said, 'Well, sir, if we don't pay and russia attacks us, will you protect us?' "I said, "You didn't pay, you are violators"… In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You've got to pay. You've got to pay your bills," Trump said.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates responded to Trump's statements.

"Encouraging the invasion of our closest allies by bloody regimes is appalling and abnormal, and it puts American national security, global stability, and our economy at home at risk," he said.

As earlier reported, the German publication BILD writes that so far, Joe Biden has more chances to stay for a second term than his competitor, Donald Trump, to sit in the presidential chair. The interim count for the upcoming elections is 5:3.