Bolton: Trump might have dissolved NATO in his second term

Former US national security adviser John Bolton said that he believes former President Donald Trump might have dissolved NATO during his second term.

During a Washington Post Live event on Friday, Bolton said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “waiting” for the possible United States withdrawal from NATO.

Bolton was asked how close Trump was to withdraw the United States from NATO.

“Yeah, I had my heart in my throat at that NATO meeting (in 2018). I didn't know what the president would do. He called me up to his seat seconds before he gave his speech. And I said, 'Look, go right up to the line, but don't go over it,'” Bolton replied.

“I sat back down, I had no idea what he’d do. I thought he’d put his foot over it, but at least he didn't withdraw then," he continued. "In a second Trump term, I think he may well have withdrawn from NATO, and I think Putin was waiting for that."

‘Bolton is only happy when America is at war’

Taylor Budowich, a spokesperson for Trump, however, rejected Bolton’s comments.

"John Bolton is only happy when America is at war. President Trump led America into one of the most peaceful times in US history, which included growing investment into NATO by $50 billion," he said in a statement.

"John Bolton is just mad he was fired before it could be spent,” he added.

Commenting on Bolton's remarks during a press briefing on Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed most Americans were “grateful” that President Joe Biden’s approach to global engagement is different than Trump's.

“I saw those comments —  you know, another reason why the American people are grateful — the majority of the American people — that President Biden has not taken a page out of his predecessors’ playbook as it relates to global engagement and global leadership, because, certainly, we could be in a different place,” she said.

In December last year, Bolton, a foreign policy hawk, urged NATO to “stand up to Russia” amid growing tensions between Moscow and the Western military alliance. 

In an article published on December 28, Bolton listed out “misjudgments” made by the West regarding Russia and what he called the Kremlin’s "hegemonic agenda.”

Bolton said the West has "made two fundamental mistakes in the years since Russia's new flag was first raised over the Kremlin.”

“In an understandable rush to add to NATO states escaping the defunct Warsaw Pact and resuming their rightful places in the West, America, in particular, failed to delineate where the expansion would end,” he wrote, adding that the West created a “grey zone,” which is now being “exploited” by Russia.

He lamented that President Putin was “outmaneuvering” his Western counterparts while adding that China has “endorsed” Russia’s demands.

NATO has turned obsolete, should have been disbanded decades ago: Expert

The US-led NATO military alliance has become an obsolete organization that should have been dismantled decades ago, says an analyst.

NATO diplomats have long feared that Trump's portrayal of NATO as an alliance in crisis might erode US public support.

Trump called NATO “obsolete” and repeatedly criticized European countries for failing to increase their military budget.  

NATO members are required to spend at least 2 percent of their GDP on military affairs. This is while the US currently spends around 4 percent.

“Trump was right in 2016 that NATO serves no purpose, it is obsolete,” James George Jatras told Press TV in an interview.

“There is no military threat to the countries of Europe, so why do we have this alliance and why is the United States in it,” Jatras said.

“This alliance should have been disbanded decades ago but it sort of survives as kind of a zombie alliance that goes forward under its own inertia.” 

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