MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refused to comment on what former US President Donald Trump, the favorite for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, said about helping NATO counter Russia.

"I am still the press secretary of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, not Trump’s," he told journalists.

Appearing at a rally of his supporters in South Carolina on Saturday, ahead of the Republican presidential primary on February 24, Trump recalled one of his meetings with NATO leaders. According to Trump, the president of "a big country stood up and said, 'Well, sir, if we don’t pay and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?'" In response, Trump, in his words, asked him if the country was "delinquent" in its payments. The other president replied, "Yes. Let’s say that happened." "No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You’ve got to pay. You got to pay your bills," Trump recalled, not specifying however when this conversation took place or who the other president was.