In an 8 minute call to the Financial Times US President Donald Trump said NATO could face a “very bad” future if members didn’t contribute forces to help re open the Strait of Hormuz, in an apparent attempt to blackmail countries into joining the war by threatening to withdraw American support for NATO. He also said he might delay a planned state visit to China if it also did not contribute.
Trump specifically mentioned that the US is seeking minesweepers, as the US Navy has very modest anti mine capabilities.
The timing and unusual way that the message was delivered suggests that his previously reported plan to get other countries to commit resources to opening the Strait is struggling to find support.
The short call also highlighted some of idiosyncrasies of Trump’s understanding of the world. At one point he appeared to imply that European countries had an obligation to support the US in the Persian Gulf because of past US support for Ukraine, and failing to do would validate his claim that NATO was “a one way street”. This framing ignores the facts that (1) Trump cut off all military and financial aid to Ukraine upon assuming office, and has applied enormous pressure to try to force it to accept an unfavourable peace deal with Russia, (2) Trump started the war without consulting his NATO allies, and as the initiator has no resort to NATO’s mutual defence provisions, and (3) the Persian Gulf isn’t even within NATO’s area of operations, as specified in the North Atlantic Charter.
Asked about Russia supplying satellite intelligence to aid Iran in targetting American and Israeli assets Trump demurred, as he has in the past, basically saying it would be unfair to criticize Russian actions because the US has supplied intelligence to Ukraine.
The call to the FT comes as the Trump administration is under mounting pressure to prevent the Gulf crisis from triggering global economic dislocation. As the article notes: “International oil prices hit $106 a barrel on Sunday evening, up about 45 per cent since the start of the war.”
Spieltrieb75 on
Any allies left except russia?
EverybodyHits on
It feels very much like this is JD Vance’s contribution to the proceedings
One-Situation-7982 on
War mongering never allows you to properly calculate the real consequences of your actions until after the fact. This has to be one of the most diabolically incompetent US administration in modern history.
Comfortable_Gur8311 on
It’s a good way for nato to make sure they’re on their own when the orcs come knocking.
But I can’t blame them, it’s not their war for the most part.
Stilnovisti on
The best way for NATO to help Trump would be to convince him to end the war. Unfortunately, few leaders have done so for fear of incurring his wrath.
Quiet-Invite3853 on
The world would be so much different if we never saved the UK from nazi Germany. It would be SO much worse. They definitely 100 percent are obligated to assist us.
lafarda on
It would be a bad precedent if the EU leaves with no consequences a commercial aggression, a threat of territorial annexation and some election interferences (and probably some hybrid war moves).
There’s no need to be aggressive, but it’s important to convey that we’re not going to take any blow from the US just because their incompetent clown of a President thinks so.
Dry_Egg8180 on
Netanyahu is the one calling the shots. That is why Trump can’t give anyone a straight answer. He has to ask the people in charge. He is having to threaten our allies because he is borrowing $50 billion a week – $200 billion a month, running our country into debt. Netanyahu wants the war to go on for 6 more weeks and Trump is saying yes sir, Mr. Prime Minister, sir, whatever you say. Is there anything else we can do for you sir??
RicRacer on
It would take about 17~19 days for a typical Mine Sweeper to sail from the UK to the Strait of Hormuz. Assuming a cruising speed of 15 knots. (this is just a rough estimate). Are there significant EU assets closer? One of the perils of not building a coalition beforehand.
ftrlvb on
I hear the headline with a whiny Trump voice🤣
he’s the one to kneecap Canada, EU, Spain, UK, Ukraine and the whole free world in order to buddy up with dictatorships to fill his and his families’ pockets.
refuses to collapse Russia. think about it!!
dude could finish Putin and the whole alcoholic unemployed corrupt torture and killing machine. attacking, enslaving and annexing their neighbors for over 1000 years. **until now**
then starving and dying Ukraine to make some bucks for himself and divide their country between Bloodimir and himself. is like you see a rape victim and participate.
NATO should kick them out, then put tariffs to 50%-unemploy the US. that’s what he deserves (but not the American people) its enough to spoiler the Epstein files. doesn’t EU have some hackers?
I think, I need a coffee now. 😂
kjleebio on
Trump is at his LAMF stage. I do wonder if he will do something drastic once he realizes his thrashing about is not going to work on former allies?
edit: This is also interesting cause it seems like not even the admin can censor the info about this operation. Trump often wants to hear what he wants to hear so his admin of yes men try to censor as much info that will appease him. They can’t censor reality of course.
Fit-Squash-9447 on
Can someone show him a map.
bushcamper_aiis on
The EU is in a really tough spot. Member states could help and be hated by voters, or they could not help and risk the conflict lasting significantly longer than it otherwise would.
Not helping might also provide the Americans with some unfair, but probably effective, talking points on why they need to annex parts of Greenland. E.g. “Our NATO partners have their own interests and they aren’t the same as ours. They don’t care about our security or efforts to make the world a safer place.”
Either way, the Americans could also just leave and claim it’s everyone else’s problem now. FWIW I don’t see this happening, because they want to keep their relationships in the ME.
Gustomaximus on
So would a reasonable translation be:
Trump threatens to pull out of the organisation he’s been threatening to pull out of for years?
grathontolarsdatarod on
So did he straight up tell north Korea to say nothing while he is in term so no one can draw a direct comparison between the two.
But the US and north Korea seem to have the same communications memo….
chefkoch_ on
It’s not that it had a great future with him at the wheel anyway.
Brief-Joke4043 on
maybe he should not have threatened his allies in the first place. what a chump
When you insult other countires military and virtually call them cowards and then declare you don’t need them anyway, what does he expect?
18 Comments
[Unpaywalled Link](https://www.archivebuttons.com/articles?article=https://www.ft.com/content/1ca6d121-760b-4ec5-b6ad-514fdaa94873#google_vignette)
Submission Statement:
In an 8 minute call to the Financial Times US President Donald Trump said NATO could face a “very bad” future if members didn’t contribute forces to help re open the Strait of Hormuz, in an apparent attempt to blackmail countries into joining the war by threatening to withdraw American support for NATO. He also said he might delay a planned state visit to China if it also did not contribute.
Trump specifically mentioned that the US is seeking minesweepers, as the US Navy has very modest anti mine capabilities.
The timing and unusual way that the message was delivered suggests that his previously reported plan to get other countries to commit resources to opening the Strait is struggling to find support.
The short call also highlighted some of idiosyncrasies of Trump’s understanding of the world. At one point he appeared to imply that European countries had an obligation to support the US in the Persian Gulf because of past US support for Ukraine, and failing to do would validate his claim that NATO was “a one way street”. This framing ignores the facts that (1) Trump cut off all military and financial aid to Ukraine upon assuming office, and has applied enormous pressure to try to force it to accept an unfavourable peace deal with Russia, (2) Trump started the war without consulting his NATO allies, and as the initiator has no resort to NATO’s mutual defence provisions, and (3) the Persian Gulf isn’t even within NATO’s area of operations, as specified in the North Atlantic Charter.
Asked about Russia supplying satellite intelligence to aid Iran in targetting American and Israeli assets Trump demurred, as he has in the past, basically saying it would be unfair to criticize Russian actions because the US has supplied intelligence to Ukraine.
The call to the FT comes as the Trump administration is under mounting pressure to prevent the Gulf crisis from triggering global economic dislocation. As the article notes: “International oil prices hit $106 a barrel on Sunday evening, up about 45 per cent since the start of the war.”
Any allies left except russia?
It feels very much like this is JD Vance’s contribution to the proceedings
War mongering never allows you to properly calculate the real consequences of your actions until after the fact. This has to be one of the most diabolically incompetent US administration in modern history.
It’s a good way for nato to make sure they’re on their own when the orcs come knocking.
But I can’t blame them, it’s not their war for the most part.
The best way for NATO to help Trump would be to convince him to end the war. Unfortunately, few leaders have done so for fear of incurring his wrath.
The world would be so much different if we never saved the UK from nazi Germany. It would be SO much worse. They definitely 100 percent are obligated to assist us.
It would be a bad precedent if the EU leaves with no consequences a commercial aggression, a threat of territorial annexation and some election interferences (and probably some hybrid war moves).
There’s no need to be aggressive, but it’s important to convey that we’re not going to take any blow from the US just because their incompetent clown of a President thinks so.
Netanyahu is the one calling the shots. That is why Trump can’t give anyone a straight answer. He has to ask the people in charge. He is having to threaten our allies because he is borrowing $50 billion a week – $200 billion a month, running our country into debt. Netanyahu wants the war to go on for 6 more weeks and Trump is saying yes sir, Mr. Prime Minister, sir, whatever you say. Is there anything else we can do for you sir??
It would take about 17~19 days for a typical Mine Sweeper to sail from the UK to the Strait of Hormuz. Assuming a cruising speed of 15 knots. (this is just a rough estimate). Are there significant EU assets closer? One of the perils of not building a coalition beforehand.
I hear the headline with a whiny Trump voice🤣
he’s the one to kneecap Canada, EU, Spain, UK, Ukraine and the whole free world in order to buddy up with dictatorships to fill his and his families’ pockets.
refuses to collapse Russia. think about it!!
dude could finish Putin and the whole alcoholic unemployed corrupt torture and killing machine. attacking, enslaving and annexing their neighbors for over 1000 years. **until now**
then starving and dying Ukraine to make some bucks for himself and divide their country between Bloodimir and himself. is like you see a rape victim and participate.
NATO should kick them out, then put tariffs to 50%-unemploy the US. that’s what he deserves (but not the American people) its enough to spoiler the Epstein files. doesn’t EU have some hackers?
I think, I need a coffee now. 😂
Trump is at his LAMF stage. I do wonder if he will do something drastic once he realizes his thrashing about is not going to work on former allies?
edit: This is also interesting cause it seems like not even the admin can censor the info about this operation. Trump often wants to hear what he wants to hear so his admin of yes men try to censor as much info that will appease him. They can’t censor reality of course.
Can someone show him a map.
The EU is in a really tough spot. Member states could help and be hated by voters, or they could not help and risk the conflict lasting significantly longer than it otherwise would.
Not helping might also provide the Americans with some unfair, but probably effective, talking points on why they need to annex parts of Greenland. E.g. “Our NATO partners have their own interests and they aren’t the same as ours. They don’t care about our security or efforts to make the world a safer place.”
Either way, the Americans could also just leave and claim it’s everyone else’s problem now. FWIW I don’t see this happening, because they want to keep their relationships in the ME.
So would a reasonable translation be:
Trump threatens to pull out of the organisation he’s been threatening to pull out of for years?
So did he straight up tell north Korea to say nothing while he is in term so no one can draw a direct comparison between the two.
But the US and north Korea seem to have the same communications memo….
It’s not that it had a great future with him at the wheel anyway.
maybe he should not have threatened his allies in the first place. what a chump
When you insult other countires military and virtually call them cowards and then declare you don’t need them anyway, what does he expect?