Capping off a turbulent few days for Donald Trump, he seems to have suggested in an interview that he would hesitate to support NATO allies if they came under attack.

Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Trump said if Russia attempted to attack countries such as small Baltic states which have recently been admitted into the NATO alliance, he would first see if the countries "have fulfilled their obligations to us" before offering military support.

He would "prefer to be able to continue" existing security agreements, which mean the United States would automatically support allies if they are attacked, but said US allies need to bear some of the defence costs.