The president of Estonia on Thursday appeared to respond to a controversial New York Times interview in which Donald Trump said he would only support NATO allies who “have fulfilled their obligations to us” if they were attacked by Russia, saying that Estonia would stand by its NATO pledge no matter what.
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves tweeted that Estonia is committed to every one of the nations in NATO:
We are equally committed to a l l our NATO allies, regardless of who they may be. That’s what makes them allies.
— toomas hendrik ilves (@IlvesToomas) July 21, 2016
Estonia is 1 of 5 NATO allies in Europe to meet its 2% def expenditures commitment. Fought, with no caveats, in NATO’s sole Art 5 op. in Afg
— toomas hendrik ilves (@IlvesToomas) July 21, 2016
Ilves, who maintains a casual Twitter presence, then sent out another tweet asking that people not read into his statement too much.
No reason to read so much into my sentences about Estonia’s role in NATO. I’m simply Sgt Joe Friday: “Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts”
— toomas hendrik ilves (@IlvesToomas) July 21, 2016
He also took time to respond to someone seeming to mock former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who defended Trump’s interview with the Times. Gingrich had referred to Estonia as “the suburbs of St. Petersburg.”
@wanapagan geographically challenged, I guess
— toomas hendrik ilves (@IlvesToomas) July 21, 2016
The news cycle today is going to be chewed up by NATO Allies weighing in on his comments last night, pretty much right up to Trump taking the stage (time differences can be a real bitch).
Even if Trump doesn’t say anything outlandish tonight, (which is highly doubtful), this interview is going to overshadow his acceptance speech. And while the political and global ramifications of the interview are far, FAR more troublesome…even at a PR level, this is a disaster.
A tiny country that’s still watching ‘Dragnet’ thinks Trump is a buffoon…God help us.
Smoke that in your crackpipe, Grinch. I guess you’re as good at geography as you are history.
John Kerry is going to be very busy over the next 3 1/2 months…
Yeah, but they a bad job building the slot-machine cabinets, so screw 'em!