President Donald Trump told his advisers about the possibility of withdrawing the US from NATO if allies do not help open the Strait of Hormuz, US officials said, quoted by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
“WSJ” sources emphasized that Trump did not give a clear order to his advisers regarding a potential withdrawal from the organization. However, he discussed the possibility of leaving NATO or weakening American involvement within the Alliance. The newspaper's interlocutors noted that the president had not made a final decision on the future role of the US in NATO.
“This may be little consolation to anxious allies who have been embroiled in diplomatic turmoil in recent years just to avoid angering the capricious American president,” said the New York daily. “NYT” also noted that NATO allies “have become accustomed to Trump's threats.”
NATO may de facto collapse even if the treaty is legally upheld
The Wall Street Journal also noted that formally leaving the Alliance would be difficult. “However, NATO may de facto collapse even if the treaty is legally maintained,” the newspaper emphasized. “The driving force of the Alliance is its deterrent credibility: convincing potential adversaries that an attack on a NATO member is likely to trigger war with the entire Alliance, including the United States,” we read.
In another article, the NYT noted that Trump “has attacked Europe again,” escalating verbal attacks that, it said, “border on diplomatic intimidation.”
Trump has been threatening to leave NATO for a long time
NBC News pointed out that Trump has long been threatening to leave NATO and criticizing the Alliance. Already in 2018, during his first presidential term, he threatened to withdraw from NATO if other countries belonging to it “do not pay their bills.”
CNN also noted that this is not the first time Trump has expressed doubts about his commitment to this Alliance. “However, in the face of his growing fury at the reluctance of European countries to join the war, … this threat has renewed concern within the Alliance about whether he is serious,” it says.
CNN stressed that since Trump first took office in 2017, NATO members have become accustomed to his periodic tantrums and threats to leave NATO. Each time he was calmed down by secretaries general or other heads of state who coped with his personality perfectly, it was noted. “But this time, Trump's anger appears to have reached a new level,” CNN said.
The president wants Europe to get involved in unblocking the Strait of Hormuz, the closure of which by the Iranians has led to a global increase in energy prices and, in the case of Trump himself, contributed to political problems in the country.
“I will talk about my disgust with NATO”
