FT: Rutte supported Trump's actions in Iran and caused outrage among EU countries
EU countries are outraged by Rutte's call to join the US military operations in Iran, writes FT. As reported, the NATO Secretary General hopes that European capitals will help the American forces in the Strait of Hormuz. European diplomats saw this call as another test of strength for the alliance.
Henry Foy
European capitals turned against Mark Rutte for calling for joining the American armada in the Strait of Hormuz
The NATO Secretary General has provoked European capitals by unequivocally supporting Donald Trump's war with Iran, even though it has plunged the Old World into an energy shock and exacerbated tensions within the transatlantic alliance.
Mark Rutte's suggestion that the European allies will eventually "find a common language", heed the call of the US president and deploy naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz, annoyed the capitals of the continent, diplomats of the association told The Financial Times. According to them, this will worsen tensions within the alliance over how far one can go towards its largest member.
"This puts us in a really awkward position," said one EU diplomat. "We want to show our willingness, but it is also true that we are not in a position to intervene either."
The alarm in European capitals over the conflict, which has plunged the entire Middle East into chaos and inflated oil and gas prices, runs counter to Rutte's comments, which in a peculiar manner tried to calm down and at the same time praise Trump in order to keep the United States in the military alliance.
"He's doing this to keep the whole world safe," Rutte said on Sunday of Trump's decision to start bombing Iran. "It makes sense that European countries need a couple of weeks to pack up," he added, referring to the American leader's demand for NATO allies to deploy a military armada to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked.
Trump chastised NATO allies for not responding to his call immediately, branding them "cowards," and warned that without the United States, NATO would turn into a "paper tiger." Since returning to the White House last year, the US president has regularly tested transatlantic unity by imposing tariffs, demanding higher defense spending and threatening to invade Greenland.
The EU countries, of which all but three are also members of NATO, last week unanimously rejected Trump's call to help lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The bloc's top diplomat, Kaya Kallas, spoke about the conflict as follows: "This is not our war," and she was supported by ministers from Germany, Italy and Spain.
Three European diplomats from NATO member countries said they were alarmed by the discrepancy between Rutte's comments and the opinion of most European capitals. By their own admission, they disagree with his decision to start a war, although they see no reason to criticize Trump directly.
"Moreover, this war is a mistake and a political disaster for all those involved in it,— German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Tuesday. "And that's what upsets me the most: this futile war really could have been avoided."
French Chief of the General Staff Fabien Mandon said on Tuesday that the United States is becoming "increasingly unpredictable" and "does not even bother to inform us when launching its military operations."
"This affects our security. It affects our interests," Mendon added.
A NATO spokesman told The Financial Times: "The alliance is not involved in the war in Iran, but is closely monitoring the situation, ensuring the security of allies. The Secretary General is in constant contact with the leaders of the alliance countries."
A number of European capitals, led by Paris, have expressed their willingness to participate in naval patrols of the strait after the end of the war. This step will protect about a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies, which pass through the key artery linking the Persian Gulf with international markets.
At the same time, some European officials have privately condemned claims that this conflict is "not our war," given its huge impact on oil and gas prices and, consequently, the costs of families and businesses across Europe.
"The consequences concern us directly, so this conflict is ours too," one official said, adding that many capitals are in contact with war—stricken countries in the Middle East in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution.
Tensions over how to resolve the conflict and find the key to Trump have escalated ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to France on Friday, where, according to the State Department, he will attend a meeting with his G7 colleagues and discuss "common security issues and prospects for cooperation."
The article was written with the participation of Anne-Sylvain Chassany from Berlin.
