The US may not support NATO, Trump threatens: “We're spending hundreds of billions and we don't need to be there anymore”
Donald Trump threatened on Friday, March 27, that the United States may not come to the aid of NATO in the event of a conflict, blaming the allies for not responding to Washington's requests to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Donald Trump PHOTO: AFP
“They just weren't there”Trump said, referring to Washington's unanswered request for military support from allies to secure the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.
“We spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds of billions, to protect them, and we would have always been with them, but now, given their actions, I suppose we don't have to be, do we?”the US president added.
On March 19, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan issued a joint statement announcing that they were ready to contribute to “appropriate efforts aimed at guaranteeing the security of crossing the Strait of Hormuz”, through which about a fifth of the world's oil production transits.
However, the signatory countries ruled out any direct military participation.
The blockade in the strait has led to the paralysis of maritime traffic and skyrocketing energy prices globally.
