Trump Says Russia Can Do Anything To Nato Allies If They Don't Pay; White House Appalled'

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump said on Saturday that, as president, he warned Nato allies he "would encourage" Russia "to do whatever the hell they want" to countries that are "delinquent" as he ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances.

Speaking at a rally in South Carolina, Trump recounted a story he has told before about an unidentified Nato member who confronted him over his threat not to defend members who fail to meet the trans-Atlantic alliance's defense spending targets.

"You didn't pay? You're delinquent?" Trump recounted saying. "No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills."

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates responded, saying that: "Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged and it endangers American national security, global stability, and our economy at home."

Nato allies agreed in 2014, after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, to halt the spending cuts they had made after the Cold War and move toward spending 2% of their GDPs on defense by 2024.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned against talk that "undermines security".