NATO leader says Trump puts allies at risks by saying Russia can ‘do whatever the hell they want’

By VANESSA GERA and LORNE COOK
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — NATO’s leader is warning that Donald Trump was putting the safety of U.S. troops and their allies at risk. The alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement Sunday after the Republican presidential front-runner said Russia should be able to do “whatever the hell they want” to alliance members who don’t meet their defense spending targets. Stoltenberg said that the 31 allies are committed to defending each other. Trump’s remarks caused deep concern in Poland, a country in central Europe that has been under Russian control more often than not since the end of the 18th century. Its defense minister said “no election campaign is an excuse for playing with the security of the alliance.”