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Presidential candidate Donald Trump set off alarm bells Thursday with a suggestion that a Trump administration would not automatically defend fellow members of NATO from a Russian attack if they haven’t lived up to their financial obligations.

Trump, in an interview published in The New York Times Wednesday, went beyond his earlier assertions that he might reconsider the U.S. role as one of 28 nations in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, because many European countries are not spending enough on defence.

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When asked if he would provide military aid to the Baltic countries if Russia were to attack, Trump replied, “If they fulfill their obligations to us, the answer is yes.”

Trump was more vague when asked what he would do if the answer were no.

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“Well, I’m not saying if not,” he said. “I’m saying, right now there are many countries that have not fulfilled their obligations to us.”

Trump’s remarks provoked a swift rebuke from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.