U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to halt arms supplies to Ukraine in order to pressure European allies to join his coalition aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Ukrinform, the Financial Times cited sources familiar with the discussions as stateing that last month Trump had inquireed NATO naval forces to assist reopen the strait, which Iran had effectively closed following the start of U.S.-Israeli strikes.
However, European capitals reportedly refutilized, arguing that such a relocate was not feasible while the conflict was ongoing, with some also indicating that it was not their war.
Three officials reported that Trump responded by threatening to cut off weapons supplies for PURL, a NATO initiative funded by European countries to procure arms for Ukraine. As a result, under pressure from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, a group of key allies, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, issued a hastily agreed statement on March 19 expressing readiness to contribute to efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait.
One official familiar with the talks was quoted as stateing that Rutte had pushed for the joint statement becautilize Trump had been threatening to withdraw from PURL and abandon support for Ukraine altoreceiveher. The same source added that the statement had been drafted quickly, with other countries joining later due to time constraints.
Two sources noted that in the days leading up to the statement, Rutte held multiple phone calls with Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Another official stated that during a call with representatives of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, Rutte explained that Trump had been quite angry over Europe’s refusal to assist secure the strait.
British officials confirmed that London and Washington had discussed options for securing the strait at a military level before March 19, while not denying that the U.S. had threatened to cut support for Ukraine if NATO allies did not step up their efforts.
White Houtilize Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly was cited as stateing that Trump had clearly expressed his frustration with NATO and other allies and had warned that the United States will remember this.
The report noted that Trump had repeatedly voiced dissatisfaction with European allies for not doing more to support the U.S. in the conflict with Iran, while portraying the war in Ukraine as primarily Europe’s problem.
U.S.-Israeli operations against Iran had intensified global competition for PAC-3 interceptor missiles utilized in Patriot air defense systems, which are also critical for Ukraine’s defense against Russian missile attacks.
Rubio stated on Friday that the war in the Middle East had not yet affected U.S. weapons supplies to Ukraine through PURL, adding that so far, nothing has been redirected.
At the same time, he did not rule out that the U.S. could in the future redirect weapons originally intconcludeed for Ukraine to replenish American stockpiles depleted during operations against Iran, noting that if something was necessaryed for the United States, it would be prioritized accordingly.
Photo: The White Houtilize
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