During a forum in Florida on Friday, the American president once again criticized NATO’s stance, which did not wish to directly participate in the war in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump stated on Friday, March 27, that the United States may not come to NATO’s aid if needed, reiterating his criticisms of the Atlantic Alliance, during a business forum in Miami.
“They were simply not there,” the American president declared, referring to Washington’s request – which went unanswered – for military support from its allies to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
“We spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds of billions, to protect them, and we would always have been there for them, but now, in light of their actions, I suppose we are no longer at their service, right?” he said.
“The Bahamas and Kuwait, they were firmer than NATO,” added Donald Trump, expressing being “very disappointed” in the Alliance, taking subtle jabs at his (mainly) European allies. “I want to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has been of great help, unlike NATO,” he said, for example. “They made a big mistake.”
In recent weeks, the American president has multiplied bellicose statements towards NATO, labeling it on his Truth Social network as a “PAPER TIGER” and “COWARDS.” The United States “will remember,” he had already stated on Thursday at the Council of Ministers.
The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan had stated their readiness in a joint statement on March 19, “to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure the security of the passage of the Strait,” where a fifth of the world’s oil production normally passes through. However, they had excluded any direct military participation.
Traffic in this strait is virtually paralyzed, leading to a surge in energy prices.
During his address in Miami, in front of business leaders and investors gathered for the “FII Priority Summit,” Donald Trump once again assured that the military operation against Iran, now entering its fifth week, was going well.
