The only move Putin has left is to use nuclear weapons which would cause a “devastating conventional response from Nato” and the loss of India and China as allies, says Bill Browder.
Showing posts with label NATO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NATO. Show all posts
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Putin Would Lose a War against NATO in Three Days | Bill Browder
The only move Putin has left is to use nuclear weapons which would cause a “devastating conventional response from Nato” and the loss of India and China as allies, says Bill Browder.
Saturday, October 03, 2026
Putin Would Lose a War against NATO in Three Days | Bill Browder
The only move Putin has left is to use nuclear weapons which would cause a “devastating conventional response from Nato” and the loss of India and China as allies, says Bill Browder.
Friday, October 02, 2026
Could Russia’s Kaliningrad Threats Trigger a Nuclear Crisis with NATO? | DW News
Oct 2, 2026 | Russia has warned NATO that it could use nuclear weapons if the alliance attempts to isolate the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. President Vladimir Putin has now said that if Russian territory comes under direct attack, the use of “all types of weapons” at Moscow’s disposal would immediately be on the agenda.
Kaliningrad is heavily militarized but geographically isolated, sitting on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Its location makes it strategically valuable to Russia, and potentially vulnerable in any direct confrontation with NATO.
Heather Williams, director of the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins DW to examine how seriously NATO should take Moscow’s latest warning, whether nuclear threats have become an effective tool of Russian deterrence, and how an unintended incident around Kaliningrad could escalate into a much larger confrontation.
Kaliningrad is heavily militarized but geographically isolated, sitting on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Its location makes it strategically valuable to Russia, and potentially vulnerable in any direct confrontation with NATO.
Heather Williams, director of the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins DW to examine how seriously NATO should take Moscow’s latest warning, whether nuclear threats have become an effective tool of Russian deterrence, and how an unintended incident around Kaliningrad could escalate into a much larger confrontation.
Monday, September 14, 2026
Russia Hits Train in Ukraine after Boris Johnson, Top European Officials Leave Station | BBC News
Sep 14, 2026 | A Russian drone has hit a train near the Ukraine-Poland border shortly after former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and top European security officials had passed through.
No casualties were reported after the strike at Yahodyn, which hit the train's engine. All the passengers had been evacuated, Ukrainian authorities said.
Johnson and other European national security advisers, including the UK's Jonathan Powell, had passed along the same line on a different train on their way back from a conference in Kyiv.
Russia said it had struck "railway infrastructure" in western Ukraine, but Ukraine's state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia said that "quite possibly, the target of this drone could have been the diplomatic train".
No casualties were reported after the strike at Yahodyn, which hit the train's engine. All the passengers had been evacuated, Ukrainian authorities said.
Johnson and other European national security advisers, including the UK's Jonathan Powell, had passed along the same line on a different train on their way back from a conference in Kyiv.
Russia said it had struck "railway infrastructure" in western Ukraine, but Ukraine's state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia said that "quite possibly, the target of this drone could have been the diplomatic train".
Monday, August 31, 2026
‘Trump Pushes Canada Out of NATO?’: Mark Carney Drops Stunning Europe Bomb Amid Tariff War
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Trump Said to Have Secretly Used Military Jet to Leave Turkey Amid Threats
THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump hid in an airport catering container and was taken to a military jet for a secret flight out of country after the NATO summit last month.
This screenshot has been taken from this NYT article. | Two catering containers are shown alongside Air Force One on the tarmac in Turkey. | Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
Top administration officials engaged in an elaborate deception to spirit President Trump out of Turkey during the NATO summit there last month, transporting him in a catering container to a military jet because of a threat against him and Air Force One from Iran, two senior U.S. officials said on Monday.
Mr. Trump and other officials had said publicly that he would be leaving Turkey on July 8 aboard one of the older versions of Air Force One rather than a luxury 747-8 donated by Qatar that he had flown in on. Mr. Trump told reporters at the time that he was making the switch for “old time’s sake.”
Mr. Trump boarded the older plane from the left-side door in view of cameras, and news organizations, including The New York Times, reported that he had traveled on it to Britain, where he switched back to the newer plane. The Times reported at the time that the decision was driven in part by concern about the security of the new plane donated by Qatar, which had not been equipped with all of the defensive capabilities of older versions.
But instead of flying out aboard that older, powder blue, modified 747, Mr. Trump was whisked off that plane via a catering container that had been lifted to the opposite side of the plane from where the journalists traveling with him boarded, one of the U.S. officials said. The president was then taken to a third plane, which he flew in secret to Britain, the official with knowledge of the matter said. » | Maggie Haberman, Eric Schmitt and Zolan Kanno-Youngs | Published: Monday, August 10, 2026. Updated: Tuesday, August 11, 2026
À LIRE AUSSI :
« Mission clandestine », camion de restauration et « avion-leurre » : les coulisses de la mystérieuse exfiltration de Donald Trump pour quitter la Turquie : RÉCIT - Pour échapper aux menaces iraniennes, le président des États-Unis, qui se trouvait en juillet à Ankara pour un sommet de l’Otan, aurait quitté secrètement la Turquie à bord d’un avion militaire, après avoir été exfiltré d’« Air Force One » dans un conteneur de restauration aéroportuaire, révèle le Washington Post. »
Top administration officials engaged in an elaborate deception to spirit President Trump out of Turkey during the NATO summit there last month, transporting him in a catering container to a military jet because of a threat against him and Air Force One from Iran, two senior U.S. officials said on Monday.
Mr. Trump and other officials had said publicly that he would be leaving Turkey on July 8 aboard one of the older versions of Air Force One rather than a luxury 747-8 donated by Qatar that he had flown in on. Mr. Trump told reporters at the time that he was making the switch for “old time’s sake.”
Mr. Trump boarded the older plane from the left-side door in view of cameras, and news organizations, including The New York Times, reported that he had traveled on it to Britain, where he switched back to the newer plane. The Times reported at the time that the decision was driven in part by concern about the security of the new plane donated by Qatar, which had not been equipped with all of the defensive capabilities of older versions.
But instead of flying out aboard that older, powder blue, modified 747, Mr. Trump was whisked off that plane via a catering container that had been lifted to the opposite side of the plane from where the journalists traveling with him boarded, one of the U.S. officials said. The president was then taken to a third plane, which he flew in secret to Britain, the official with knowledge of the matter said. » | Maggie Haberman, Eric Schmitt and Zolan Kanno-Youngs | Published: Monday, August 10, 2026. Updated: Tuesday, August 11, 2026
À LIRE AUSSI :
« Mission clandestine », camion de restauration et « avion-leurre » : les coulisses de la mystérieuse exfiltration de Donald Trump pour quitter la Turquie : RÉCIT - Pour échapper aux menaces iraniennes, le président des États-Unis, qui se trouvait en juillet à Ankara pour un sommet de l’Otan, aurait quitté secrètement la Turquie à bord d’un avion militaire, après avoir été exfiltré d’« Air Force One » dans un conteneur de restauration aéroportuaire, révèle le Washington Post. »
Thursday, July 30, 2026
NATO Confirms Russian Missile Landed Inside Poland | DW News
Thursday, July 09, 2026
‘We Are Ready to Defend Every Inch…’: Denmark PM Dares Trump over Greenland at NATO
After Insulting Allies at NATO Summit, Trump Says They Love Him
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The meeting in Turkey featured President Trump at his most mercurial, veering from scorn to praise for European countries, including some whose patience with mollifying him has worn thin.
Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | President Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday. Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
President Trump’s head-spinning appearance at the NATO Summit in Ankara on Wednesday began with him insulting vast swaths of Europe during the morning sessions and finished just hours later with him declaring that the whole thing had been one big kumbaya session.
“I just want to say there was tremendous love in that room,” he said at a news conference not long after he had said repeatedly that “I’m not happy with NATO.”
Describing his meetings behind closed doors, he boasted: “They said, ‘Sir, we love you.’ These are grown people saying that. Isn’t that nice?”
“Maybe they’re trying to get to me, and in a way, they did,” he said. “Because there was tremendous unity in that room.” » | Tyler Pager and Shawn McCreesh | Tyler Pager and Shawn McCreesh are White House correspondents. They reported from Ankara, Turkey. | Wednesday, July 8, 2026
阅读简体中文版 »
閱讀繁體中文版 »
Donnie’s dementia must surely be progressing rapidly if he truly thinks he is loved here in Europe. From what I read and observe, it is hard to find anyone who likes him still less loves him! Clearly, POTUS is living in a world of his own! 😊 — © Mark Alexander
President Trump’s head-spinning appearance at the NATO Summit in Ankara on Wednesday began with him insulting vast swaths of Europe during the morning sessions and finished just hours later with him declaring that the whole thing had been one big kumbaya session.
“I just want to say there was tremendous love in that room,” he said at a news conference not long after he had said repeatedly that “I’m not happy with NATO.”
Describing his meetings behind closed doors, he boasted: “They said, ‘Sir, we love you.’ These are grown people saying that. Isn’t that nice?”
“Maybe they’re trying to get to me, and in a way, they did,” he said. “Because there was tremendous unity in that room.” » | Tyler Pager and Shawn McCreesh | Tyler Pager and Shawn McCreesh are White House correspondents. They reported from Ankara, Turkey. | Wednesday, July 8, 2026
阅读简体中文版 »
閱讀繁體中文版 »
Donnie’s dementia must surely be progressing rapidly if he truly thinks he is loved here in Europe. From what I read and observe, it is hard to find anyone who likes him still less loves him! Clearly, POTUS is living in a world of his own! 😊 — © Mark Alexander
Wednesday, July 08, 2026
Trump Compares Himself to Hitler as He Tries to Take Over Greenland
When will the world be rid of this umbalanced, deranged, dangerous, and unstable man?
Jesse Dollemore is absolutely right about Mark Rutte. Rutte is just a weak, brown-nosing pussy. — © Mark Alexander
Monday, July 06, 2026
Deadly Russian Strikes Hit Kyiv on Eve of NATO Summit
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Ballistic missiles were fired into the capital of Ukraine, as Russia launched its second major attack in less than a week. At least seven people were killed, officials said.
Explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early on Monday, the eve of a NATO summit, as Russia mounted its second major attack on the city in days.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who is expected to attend the NATO summit in Turkey, had warned that Russia was preparing “a new massive strike” against the capital.
Loud blasts shook the city hours later. The regional military administration said ballistic missiles were flying, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to stay in shelters.
Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said that at least seven people had been killed. At least two dozen others were wounded. » | Cassandra Vinograd | Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine | Sunday, July 5, 2026
Explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early on Monday, the eve of a NATO summit, as Russia mounted its second major attack on the city in days.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who is expected to attend the NATO summit in Turkey, had warned that Russia was preparing “a new massive strike” against the capital.
Loud blasts shook the city hours later. The regional military administration said ballistic missiles were flying, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to stay in shelters.
Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said that at least seven people had been killed. At least two dozen others were wounded. » | Cassandra Vinograd | Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine | Sunday, July 5, 2026
Thursday, July 02, 2026
Vor Gipfel in der Türkei: Trump bezeichnet Deutschlands Nato-Ausgaben als „lächerlich“
TAGESSPIEGEL: Es sind nur noch wenige Tage bis zum Nato-Gipfel in der Türkei. Donald Trump setzt jetzt den Ton und baut Druck auch Richtung Deutschland auf. Worauf er sich genau stützt, ist unklar.
Kurz vor dem Nato-Gipfel in Ankara teilt US-Präsident Donald Trump erneut gegen Deutschland und andere Verbündete aus. Er bezeichnete deren Beiträge für das Verteidigungsbündnis in einem Post auf der Plattform Truth Social als „lächerlich“. Damit baut Trump Druck auf die Nato-Alliierten vor dem Gipfel auf, der am 7. und 8. Juli in der Türkei abgehalten wird.
Trump listete in seinem Post mehrere Länder, darunter Großbritannien und Italien, sowie Finanzzahlen auf. Diese ähneln einem Nato-Bericht für das Jahr 2025 zu Verteidigungsausgaben, Trump nannte aber keine genaue Quelle. » | Tagesspiegel | Donnerstag, 2. Juli 2026
Am Lächerlichsten ist Donald Trump selbst! — © Mark Alexander
Friday, June 26, 2026
Trump-Rutte 'Bromance' Hits a Snag | DW News
“NATO’s Rutte is known as the ‘Trump whisperer’” Or should he be known as Trump's ...? 😊 — Mark
Noch mehr über diese Geschichte befindet sich hier.
Saturday, May 23, 2026
Czech President Urges Nato to ‘Show Its Teeth’ over Russia’s Provocations
THE GUARDIAN: Former general Petr Pavel says Moscow’s testing of alliance’s eastern flank should be met with firm line
The Czech president, Petr Pavel, has urged Nato to “show its teeth” in response to Russia’s repeated testing of the alliance’s resolve on its eastern flank, suggesting a range of options including switching off its internet, cutting off its banks from global financial systems and shooting down jets that violate allied airspace.
Speaking to the Guardian in Prague, Pavel called for “decisive enough, potentially even asymmetric” responses to counter Moscow’s provocative behaviour against the alliance or risk the Kremlin intensifying its actions.
A retired general and former chair of the Nato military committee, the 64-year-old’s defence background is rare among European leaders. His years of experience talking to Moscow on the suspended Nato-Russia council have made him an influential voice on the future of the alliance and the threats it faces.
He expressed frustration with “a lack of determination to keep pushing from the United States on Russia”, although he steered clear of direct criticism of Donald Trump despite the US president continuing to cast doubt on the future of Washington’s commitments to the alliance. » | Jakub Krupa and Shaun Walker in Prague | Friday, May 22, 2026
The Czech president, Petr Pavel, has urged Nato to “show its teeth” in response to Russia’s repeated testing of the alliance’s resolve on its eastern flank, suggesting a range of options including switching off its internet, cutting off its banks from global financial systems and shooting down jets that violate allied airspace.
Speaking to the Guardian in Prague, Pavel called for “decisive enough, potentially even asymmetric” responses to counter Moscow’s provocative behaviour against the alliance or risk the Kremlin intensifying its actions.
A retired general and former chair of the Nato military committee, the 64-year-old’s defence background is rare among European leaders. His years of experience talking to Moscow on the suspended Nato-Russia council have made him an influential voice on the future of the alliance and the threats it faces.
He expressed frustration with “a lack of determination to keep pushing from the United States on Russia”, although he steered clear of direct criticism of Donald Trump despite the US president continuing to cast doubt on the future of Washington’s commitments to the alliance. » | Jakub Krupa and Shaun Walker in Prague | Friday, May 22, 2026
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
EU-Armee statt Nato-Abhängigkeit? Spanien geht auf Konfrontationskurs mit Trump
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Madrid drängt auf militärische Eigenständigkeit Europas. Doch der Vorstoß trifft auf ungelöste Fragen zu Macht, Geld und politischer Glaubwürdigkeit.
Dieser Screenshot wurde aus diesem Artikel genommen. | Sánchez fordert mehr europäische Eigenständigkeit und kritisiert Trumps außenpolitischen Kurs. | © Emilio Naranjo/imago
Seit dem Ende Februar begonnenen US-israelischen Angriff auf den Iran hat die spanische Regierung unter Pedro Sánchez einen zunehmend konfrontativen Kurs zu Washington eingeschlagen. Der sozialdemokratische Regierungschef verweigerte den USA die Nutzung der Militärbasen Rota und Morón sowie des spanischen Luftraums für Angriffe auf den Iran. Er warf US-Präsident Donald Trump vor, das Völkerrecht zu missachten und Alleingänge ohne internationale Abstimmung zu unternehmen.
Diese Verweigerung löste in den Folgewochen eine diplomatische Eskalation aus. Trump drohte Madrid daraufhin nicht nur mit empfindlichen Strafzöllen auf spanische Exporte, sondern stellte auch den Abzug der US-Truppen in Aussicht. Laut internen Pentagon-Mails prüft das Weiße Haus seither sogar die rechtlichen Möglichkeiten für einen Nato-Ausschluss Spaniens. » | Vassiliki Mantziou | Mittwoch, 13. Mai 2026
Seit dem Ende Februar begonnenen US-israelischen Angriff auf den Iran hat die spanische Regierung unter Pedro Sánchez einen zunehmend konfrontativen Kurs zu Washington eingeschlagen. Der sozialdemokratische Regierungschef verweigerte den USA die Nutzung der Militärbasen Rota und Morón sowie des spanischen Luftraums für Angriffe auf den Iran. Er warf US-Präsident Donald Trump vor, das Völkerrecht zu missachten und Alleingänge ohne internationale Abstimmung zu unternehmen.
Diese Verweigerung löste in den Folgewochen eine diplomatische Eskalation aus. Trump drohte Madrid daraufhin nicht nur mit empfindlichen Strafzöllen auf spanische Exporte, sondern stellte auch den Abzug der US-Truppen in Aussicht. Laut internen Pentagon-Mails prüft das Weiße Haus seither sogar die rechtlichen Möglichkeiten für einen Nato-Ausschluss Spaniens. » | Vassiliki Mantziou | Mittwoch, 13. Mai 2026
Sunday, April 05, 2026
NATO Allies Should Threaten Trump with ‘Divorce’ Says Retired General
Apr 5, 2026 | “I think the Europeans…and Canada should gang up one day and say, we’ve talked to the lawyers about the divorce.”
NATO allies should threaten Trump with “divorce,” making it clear that if he were to leave the alliance, he would lose access to 31 bases around the world, says Michael Yakovleff, former French general.
NATO allies should threaten Trump with “divorce,” making it clear that if he were to leave the alliance, he would lose access to 31 bases around the world, says Michael Yakovleff, former French general.
Thursday, April 02, 2026
Trump Increasingly Desperate over Iran War Failures, Threatens NATO Alliance with Withdrawal
ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.
Friday, March 20, 2026
Trump Decries Nato Allies as ‘Cowards’ as Strait of Hormuz Impasse Goes On
THE GUARDIAN: Comments come amid reports US is preparing to send three more warships and thousands more troops to Middle East
Donald Trump has called Nato allies “cowards” for not wanting to “help open” the strait of Hormuz, with the US reportedly preparing to send three more warships and thousands more troops to the Middle East amid fears about the economic damage being caused by the war on Iran.
The US is reportedly considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s strategically crucial Kharg Island to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait.
The reports from US media organisations emerged as Iran’s military threatened it would “hunt down” officials and military commanders from the United States and Israel wherever it could find them in the world including at world tourist destinations.
“We are watching your cowardly officials and commanders, pilots and wicked soldiers,” the Iranian armed forces spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi said, quoted by state TV. “From now on, based on the information we have on you, the promenades, resorts and tourist and entertainment centres in the world will not be safe.”
The reports that Washington is considering plans to occupy or blockade Kharg Island come despite earlier suggestions by Trump that he was not leaning towards putting “boots on the ground”. » | Peter Beaumont | Senior international correspondent | Friday, March 20, 2026
The draft dodger must be about the most hated man on the planet! In this war, he’s up over his head. He is the cause of misery and suffering on an epic scale, but he seems neither to know it nor to understand the screw-up he has made. In any case, he is utterly insouciant about it all, expecting others to help him clean up the mess he himself has created. Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to realize that he has brought the world to the brink of catastrophe. A deep depression and even a world war could well ensue from his reckless military excursions into the unknown. — © Mark Alexander
Donald Trump has called Nato allies “cowards” for not wanting to “help open” the strait of Hormuz, with the US reportedly preparing to send three more warships and thousands more troops to the Middle East amid fears about the economic damage being caused by the war on Iran.
The US is reportedly considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s strategically crucial Kharg Island to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait.
The reports from US media organisations emerged as Iran’s military threatened it would “hunt down” officials and military commanders from the United States and Israel wherever it could find them in the world including at world tourist destinations.
“We are watching your cowardly officials and commanders, pilots and wicked soldiers,” the Iranian armed forces spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi said, quoted by state TV. “From now on, based on the information we have on you, the promenades, resorts and tourist and entertainment centres in the world will not be safe.”
The reports that Washington is considering plans to occupy or blockade Kharg Island come despite earlier suggestions by Trump that he was not leaning towards putting “boots on the ground”. » | Peter Beaumont | Senior international correspondent | Friday, March 20, 2026
The draft dodger must be about the most hated man on the planet! In this war, he’s up over his head. He is the cause of misery and suffering on an epic scale, but he seems neither to know it nor to understand the screw-up he has made. In any case, he is utterly insouciant about it all, expecting others to help him clean up the mess he himself has created. Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to realize that he has brought the world to the brink of catastrophe. A deep depression and even a world war could well ensue from his reckless military excursions into the unknown. — © Mark Alexander
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Monday, March 16, 2026
U.S. Allies Rebuff Trump’s Appeal for Help in Strait of Hormuz
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Germany and other nations rejected President Trump’s call for warships to reopen the vital oil route. The Israeli military escalated ground attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Trump is expected to speak soon.
American allies around the world have responded coolly to — or outright rebuffed — President Trump’s call to send warships to escort merchant vessels in and out of the Persian Gulf, illustrating the consequences of his dismissive approach to global alliances.
The sharpest refusal came Monday from Germany, whose defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said, “This is not our war; we did not start it.” Top officials of Japan, Italy and Australia said Monday that their countries would not participate in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Others were noncommittal, including France, South Korea and Britain, whose prime minister, Keir Starmer, said his country would not be “drawn into wider war.”
Mr. Trump’s call on social media on Saturday for other nations to join the United States in an escort effort came just a week ago, he turned down Mr. Starmer’s offer to send two British aircraft carriers to the region. “We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!” Mr. Trump said at the time.
As Iran blockades most traffic through the oil shipping choke point, Mr. Trump’s appeal was the first time he had sounded eager to build a broad coalition against Iran. But he was asking for backup from allies who were not consulted ahead of the U.S.-Israeli decision to go to war, and who were derided by Mr. Trump in the past.
The American-Israeli air war against Iran, now in its third week, has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, and has drawn in much of the Middle East, as Iran has launched rockets and drones at neighboring countries and at ships in the Gulf. Global energy prices have skyrocketed with tanker traffic all but stopped through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for around a fifth of the world’s oil shipments. The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, briefly reached $106 on Monday.
The United States appears to have been unprepared for the extent of that retaliation and the need to escort ships through the strait — something that administration officials have discussed publicly since the first week of the war, but has not yet begun.
Mr. Trump said NATO member nations should help, and told The Financial Times on Sunday, “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.” He called on China to send naval escorts, too, but Beijing has little incentive to cooperate; Iran, which sells oil to China, is letting its ships pass safely. Mr. Trump has threatened to postpone a planned summit meeting with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, as he focuses on the war. Iran War Live Updates » | David E. Sanger, Christopher F. Schuetze, Megan Specia and Aaron Boxerman | Monday, March 16, 2026
Goldilocks started this war, so let Goldilocks finish it! — © Mark Alexander
American allies around the world have responded coolly to — or outright rebuffed — President Trump’s call to send warships to escort merchant vessels in and out of the Persian Gulf, illustrating the consequences of his dismissive approach to global alliances.
The sharpest refusal came Monday from Germany, whose defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said, “This is not our war; we did not start it.” Top officials of Japan, Italy and Australia said Monday that their countries would not participate in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Others were noncommittal, including France, South Korea and Britain, whose prime minister, Keir Starmer, said his country would not be “drawn into wider war.”
Mr. Trump’s call on social media on Saturday for other nations to join the United States in an escort effort came just a week ago, he turned down Mr. Starmer’s offer to send two British aircraft carriers to the region. “We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!” Mr. Trump said at the time.
As Iran blockades most traffic through the oil shipping choke point, Mr. Trump’s appeal was the first time he had sounded eager to build a broad coalition against Iran. But he was asking for backup from allies who were not consulted ahead of the U.S.-Israeli decision to go to war, and who were derided by Mr. Trump in the past.
The American-Israeli air war against Iran, now in its third week, has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, and has drawn in much of the Middle East, as Iran has launched rockets and drones at neighboring countries and at ships in the Gulf. Global energy prices have skyrocketed with tanker traffic all but stopped through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for around a fifth of the world’s oil shipments. The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, briefly reached $106 on Monday.
The United States appears to have been unprepared for the extent of that retaliation and the need to escort ships through the strait — something that administration officials have discussed publicly since the first week of the war, but has not yet begun.
Mr. Trump said NATO member nations should help, and told The Financial Times on Sunday, “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.” He called on China to send naval escorts, too, but Beijing has little incentive to cooperate; Iran, which sells oil to China, is letting its ships pass safely. Mr. Trump has threatened to postpone a planned summit meeting with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, as he focuses on the war. Iran War Live Updates » | David E. Sanger, Christopher F. Schuetze, Megan Specia and Aaron Boxerman | Monday, March 16, 2026
Goldilocks started this war, so let Goldilocks finish it! — © Mark Alexander
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)