(Ottawa) There is no point in overreacting to the comments of American presidential candidate Donald Trump on NATO, believes Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair.
“I am not going to let myself be drawn into the political rhetoric of another country,” pleaded the federal minister on the sidelines of an appearance before a House of Commons committee on Monday.
He will also fly to Brussels this week for a summit with his NATO counterparts.
The meeting is therefore being held a few days after an outing by the former Republican president which risks causing chatter in the corridors of the Belgian capital.
According to Bill Blair, however, we should not be distracted by such “political” statements coming from south of the border.
“We are going to hear rhetorical speeches to which we must not react disproportionately,” he argued.
And “speculate on what he [Donald Trump] could have in mind” does not have so much “relevance”, because the priority is to concentrate on the defense of Canada, continued the minister.
On Saturday, the former President of the United States said he would “encourage” Russia to attack NATO countries if they did not pay their share.
His statement caused a shock wave, particularly among European countries.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz deemed it “irresponsible” and “dangerous”, insisting that “no one should play with the security of Europe”.
With Agence France-Presse