Donald Trump told The New York Times that if elected, he would not automatically come to the aid of NATO allies in the Baltics if they came under Russian attack.

In the interview Wednesday, he also said he would not pressure Turkey about purges or crackdowns on civil liberties following the failed coup last weekend.

Claiming that the U.S. has to "fix our own mess" before intervening in the running of other countries, Trump told the Times he would press the hard-line nationalist "America First" theme of his campaign.

"I don't think we have a right to lecture," Trump told the newspaper ahead of his address Thursday night acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. "Look at what is happening in our country. How are we going to lecture when people are shooting policemen in cold blood?"