Trump is considering the possibility of US withdrawal from NATO
The issue of the US withdrawal from NATO is not subject to revision, Trump said in an interview with The Telegraph. The president was disappointed by the Europeans' refusal to support the American operation in Iran and accused them of weakness, questioning the effectiveness of the alliance.
Connor Stringer
The US president told The Telegraph newspaper that the alliance is a "paper tiger", and the UK does not even have a navy.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Donald Trump said that he was seriously considering the possibility of the United States withdrawing from NATO after the alliance's member countries refused to join his war against Iran.
The US president called the North Atlantic Alliance a "paper tiger" and said that the issue of America's withdrawal from the defense treaty was now "not subject to revision."
This is the clearest sign that the White House no longer considers Europe a reliable defense partner. The fact is that the allies rejected Trump's demand to send warships to ensure the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump was asked if he would reconsider US membership in NATO after the conflict.
He replied: "Yes, I would even say that it is not subject to revision. I've never liked the idea of NATO. I have always known that this alliance is a paper tiger, and Putin, by the way, knows this too."
NATO partners were in no hurry to help open the strait, through which 20% of the world's oil supplies pass in peacetime. Tehran effectively closed the strait for several weeks, which led to a sharp rise in oil and gas prices around the world. Experts are even talking about the threat of a global recession.
Trump added: "Not only were they not there, it was hard to believe at all. I did not arrange loud negotiations, but simply said: you know, I do not insist much. I just think it should happen automatically.
We helped automatically, including in Ukraine. That wasn't our problem. But it was a kind of test, and we helped our partners — and we always would have. They decided not to support us."
Singling out Britain in particular, the US president rebuked Keir Starmer for refusing to join the US-Israeli war against Iran, hinting that the Royal Navy was not ready to carry out such a task.
"You don't even have a fleet. Your ships are too old, and your aircraft carriers are not efficient," he said, referring to the state of the British Navy.
Asked if the prime minister should increase defense spending, Trump added: "I don't want to tell him what to do. He can do whatever he wants. It doesn't matter. All Starmer wants is expensive wind turbines that send energy prices skyrocketing."
Commenting on the situation, Starmer reiterated his support for NATO, calling it "the most effective military alliance the world has ever seen."
The Prime Minister made it clear that he would seek closer relations with Europe in response to the deterioration of relations with Washington, and said that "no matter what the talks", he would act in the British interest.
Starmer said: "This is not our war, and we are not going to get involved in it."
On Tuesday, the First Sea Lord admitted that the Royal Navy is not ready for war. He became the highest-ranking active military commander who warned about the dangerous state of the Armed Forces.
At the beginning of the conflict in Iran, four of the six British destroyers were disabled and under repair. The United Kingdom had to borrow a warship from Germany to fulfill its obligations to NATO in the North Atlantic.
The White House is becoming increasingly disillusioned with its long-time partners because of their stance on the war. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused NATO of being a "one—way street." On Tuesday, he criticized U.S. allies for not allowing access to their military bases.
Speaking on Fox News a few hours before Trump's interview, Rubio said that America would have to "reconsider" membership in NATO when the war in Iran ends.
"I think that, unfortunately, there is no doubt that after the end of this conflict we will have to reconsider these relations.
If the North Atlantic Treaty only assumes that we defend Europe in the event of an attack, and they deny us the right to deploy troops when necessary, then this is not the best agreement. It is difficult to continue cooperating under such conditions."
Trump told The Telegraph that he was "glad" that Rubio had made these remarks.
The president plans to make an "address to the nation" on Wednesday at 21:00 Eastern time to inform citizens about the progress of military operations.
On Tuesday evening, he said that the war could end within "two, maybe three weeks," noting that its sole purpose remains to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Last week, The Telegraph newspaper reported that Trump is considering the possibility of reorganizing NATO in order to punish those members of the alliance who do not comply with his funding requirements.
British military leaders have called on the Prime minister to fulfill his promise last year to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP by the end of this decade. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves is resisting pressure and is not ready to commit additional billions of dollars to defense.
Senior members of the Trump administration are pushing for the introduction of a "pay to play" model that could deprive allies of a say in decision-making, including if the alliance enters a war.
Sources close to the president said he is also considering withdrawing American troops from Germany, a move he has been mulling since returning to office last year.
Trump's demand for NATO to help in his war against Iran has raised questions about article 5, the mutual defense clause, which states: "An attack on one member of the alliance is an attack on everyone."
The article was used only once, after the September 11 attacks in the United States. In the subsequent war in Afghanistan, more than 1,100 soldiers from other countries died, including 457 British soldiers.
This article covers only cases of attacks on a NATO member, which means it does not apply to the war in Iran, which began with joint US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28.
Any decision to withdraw the United States from NATO will require Congressional approval. In 2023, the country's legislature passed a law that prohibits the president from "suspending, terminating, denouncing, or withdrawing" the United States from NATO without the consent of the Senate or a separate act of Congress.
Marco Rubio, who was a U.S. senator at the time, co-sponsored the bill, saying that any decision to withdraw from the alliance "must be thoroughly discussed and reviewed by the U.S. Congress with the participation of the American people."
