US President Donald Trump said in an interview with the British newspaper The Telegraph on April 1 that the country is seriously considering the possibility of withdrawing from NATO. In his opinion, the refusal of the alliance's member states to support the United States and Israel in possible military actions against Iran has exacerbated the situation.
During a conversation with journalists, Trump called NATO a "paper tiger" and expressed doubts about its effectiveness. "This is not an issue that is not worth discussing. NATO has never surprised me. I have always considered it a power on paper. Even Putin understands this very well," he said.
Trump noted that NATO countries refused to participate in the operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed by Iran. Given that about 20 percent of the world's oil passes through this strategic strait, the importance of the issue will certainly increase.
The president criticized the allies, noting that they were not active in this situation: "They were not there. This should have been done automatically. I'm not talking about a trade or an agreement here - this is a natural duty," he said.
Trump also put forward the idea that Ukraine should have participated in this operation. According to him, the United States has provided significant assistance to Kiev, but has not received sufficient support in return.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stressed the need to reconsider relations with NATO. In his opinion, such cooperation may be ineffective if the alliance serves only European interests and US interests are ignored.
During the interview, Trump also criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, sharply assessing his refusal to send military forces to the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, he also expressed critical views on Britain's military capabilities.
In turn, Keir Starmer, in response to these statements, stressed that the country would make an independent decision based on national interests. According to him, strengthening defense, security and economic cooperation with European countries in the current conditions of global instability remains a priority for Britain.
In general, Trump's statements have caused new discussions in the international political arena, making questions about the future of NATO and the US global strategy even more urgent.
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