US President Donald Trump threatened to stop Washington's participation in key defense programs for Ukraine in order to force European allies to intervene in the situation around the Strait of Hormuz. This is reported by the Financial Times.
This is about the PURL initiative - NATO's mechanism for financing weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, the American leader was "quite angry" at Europe's unwillingness to help protect the oil route, which Iran blocked after US and Israeli air strikes.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was forced to urgently prepare a joint statement by the allies.
"Trump threatened to withdraw from PURL and refuse to help Ukraine at all. The statement was drawn up quickly, and other countries joined it later, because there was not enough time to invite everyone at once," said one of the officials who spoke to the publication.
European leaders initially tried to distance themselves from the Middle East conflict. During previous talks, they stressed that unblocking the strait was impossible as long as the war in the region continued, with some representatives explicitly stating that "this is not our war." However, pressure from the White House changed the rhetoric. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed his readiness for dialogue, noting that he would hold consultations on forming a coalition, but added a caveat: "only after the cessation of hostilities."
Despite the fact that the allies eventually made concessions, the atmosphere in Washington remains tense. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly emphasized: "Trump has clearly expressed his disappointment with NATO and other allies." She also recalled the US President's warning that "the United States will remember this," indicating possible new conditions for further support for Ukraine.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that after the completion of the military operation in Iran, the United States "will have to" reconsider its relations with NATO.
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