Trump strongly considers withdrawing the United States from NATO.

In what is probably the most blatant demonstration yet that the Trump administration no longer sees Europe as a reliable defense partner, US President Donald Trump stated in an interview with British media The Telegraph on Wednesday that the US withdrawal from NATO – the world’s largest military alliance, including Canada and most European countries – was now “irreversible.”

“I’ve never been influenced by NATO. I’ve always known it was a paper tiger, and Vladimir Putin knows it too, by the way,” Trump said.

The American president expressed particular bitterness at the refusal – or rather, the silence – of NATO countries after he asked them to intervene militarily in the Strait of Hormuz, off Iran, two weeks ago. Seeing little enthusiasm for his request, he backed down three days later, stating that NATO “should just be grateful it exists” and that he “didn’t need help anymore.”

Clearly displeased, Trump had hinted last Friday that he would not come to the aid of NATO countries if they were attacked. He clarified his position today, saying, “We [the United States] have always been there for them, including in Ukraine. Even though Ukraine was not our problem. But they have not been there for us,” he criticized in his interview with The Telegraph.

Trump also openly criticized the British army, stating it had “no navy,” and took a direct jab at Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying he would “rather build expensive windmills” than invest in military equipment.

The president’s comments provided an opportune moment for Starmer, who used them to legitimize his pivot towards Europe with renewed conviction – a change in direction he has been pushing forward since the new Trump administration.

“Our long-term national interest requires a closer partnership with our European allies and with the European Union,” the British leader replied at a press conference on Wednesday, firmly determined after his country’s exit from the EU in the last decade. He also defended NATO, calling it “the most effective alliance in history.”

The United Kingdom has distanced itself from the United States

In addition to the statements from Trump, the French government, particularly Alice Rufo, the delegated minister for the Armed Forces, also denounced Trump’s comments.

“Allow me to remind you of what NATO is. It is a military alliance responsible for ensuring the security of the Euro-Atlantic region. It is not intended to conduct operations in the Strait of Hormuz, which would constitute a violation of international law,” she reprimanded at the Wars and Peace forum in Paris.

Dialogue of the deaf

On the Iranian side, they said they have not responded to the US’s 15-point proposal, which asked for an unconditional capitulation of the Iranian regime in exchange for a ceasefire.

“I receive messages directly from the US special envoy Steve Witkoff, as before,” stated the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. “When necessary, we respond to these messages. [But] that doesn’t mean we are negotiating,” he confessed to Al-Jazeera.

These comments contrast with Trump’s statements, who asserts that negotiations are progressing well with Tehran.

Today on social media, President Trump claimed to have received a “ceasefire request” from Iran, an allegation that has not been confirmed by any other source and was contradicted by the Iranian regime itself.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which a substantial portion of the world’s hydrocarbons pass, has been at the center of a diplomatic showdown for several weeks.

If the strait were to reopen, Iran is considering imposing a permanent toll on Western ships wishing to transit through it. However, the regime hinted today that the United States would be indefinitely excluded.

President Donald Trump is set to deliver a televised address tonight at 9 p.m. EDT to “make an announcement” regarding the war in Iran.

With information from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.