“Quite hysterical.” Trump threatened the Europeans to stop arms deliveries to Ukraine if they do not participate in unblocking the Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump has threatened to halt arms deliveries to Ukraine to pressure European allies to join a “coalition of the will” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times wrote on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the talks, according to Reuters.
Thus, Trump threatened to stop deliveries to PURL, NATO's arms procurement initiative for Ukraine, which is financed by European countries.
The Strait of Hormuz – a strategic route through which about 20% of the world's oil usually transits – was virtually closed by Iran after the US and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic in late February.
The US president last month asked NATO naval forces to help him reopen the strait, but was rebuffed by European capitals, which said it was impossible while the conflict was ongoing, with several also stressing that “this is not our war”.
Hastily issued joint statement
Three officials familiar with the talks told the Financial Times (FT) that Trump responded by threatening to cut off supplies to PURL.
As a result, and at the urging of NATO chief Mark Rutte, a group of countries, including key alliance members such as France, Germany and Britain, issued a hastily agreed statement on March 19, which said: “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”
One of the officials briefed on the talks said: “It was Rutte who pushed for the joint statement because Trump had threatened to withdraw from the PURL and Ukraine in general.
“The declaration was then quickly drafted and other countries joined later because there was not enough time to invite everyone to sign it immediately,” the official said.
Trump, “pretty hysterical”
Rutte participated in several phone calls with Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the two days before issuing the statement, two officials said.
Another official revealed that Rutte, in a call with France, Germany and Britain, explained that Trump was “quite hysterical” over the Europeans' refusal to help protect the Strait of Hormuz.
British officials insisted that Britain and the US were discussing “at a military level” options for securing the strait before March 19, but did not deny that Washington had threatened to withdraw support for Ukraine if NATO countries did not step up their efforts.
Anna Kelly, deputy White House spokeswoman, said: “President Trump has made clear his disappointment with NATO and other allies, and as the president emphasized, 'the United States will remember.'”
Trump threatens to withdraw the US from NATO
Trump has repeatedly expressed his disappointment with European allies for not doing more to support the US war against Iran, while portraying the conflict in Ukraine as Europe's problem.
“We're there to protect NATO, to protect them from Russia. But they're not there to protect us. It's ridiculous,” the US president said during a cabinet meeting last week.
On Wednesday, Trump told Reuters that he plans to announce later in the evening, in a speech addressed to the American public and scheduled for 21:00 local time (Wednesday night to Thursday, 04:00 Romanian time) that he will “absolutely” consider withdrawing the US from NATO.
Earlier, in an interview with the British newspaper Daily Telegraph, the US president for the first time publicly floated the idea that he was seriously considering withdrawing the US from NATO, because the allies did not support US military action against Iran.
Trump described the alliance as a “paper tiger” and said the US withdrawal from the defense treaty was now “beyond reconsideration”, the British newspaper reported.
“I was never convinced by NATO. I always knew it was a paper tiger, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin knows that too, by the way,” the White House leader said.
A NATO official said the alliance does not comment on the content of Rutte's phone calls with other leaders and referred the FT to a public statement made by the NATO chief on March 19. Responding to a question about Trump's irritation with NATO allies over the Strait of Hormuz, Rutte said: “I am confident that the allies, as always, will do everything to support our common interests.”
Several countries signed the joint statement after its publication on March 19.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday he would host talks this week among the 35 signatory countries on forming a coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz “after the fighting stops”.
Rubio did not rule out the possibility of diverting weapons destined for Ukraine
The US-Israeli operations against Iran have intensified global competition for the Pac-3 interceptor missiles used in Patriot air defense systems and used by Gulf countries to defend against Iranian attacks.
The interceptors are also a vital part of Ukraine's ability to defend against Russian missiles.
Rubio said last Friday that US military supplies to Ukraine through the PURL mechanism have not been affected by the war in the Middle East. “Nothing has been redirected yet,” added the head of US diplomacy.
But Rubio did not rule out the possibility that, in the future, the US would try to redirect weapons destined for Ukraine to replenish US stocks used up in the war against Iran.
“If we need something for America and it's American, we'll keep it for America first,” added the US secretary of state.
