US President Donald Trump has once again accused NATO partners of a lack of support for the war against Iran and has again discussed the dispute over Greenland. “NATO wasn’t there when we needed it, and it won’t be there when we need it again,” he wrote in capital letters on his Truth Social platform after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Allies should remember Greenland, which he described as a “big, mismanaged piece of ice.” The Arctic island, which Trump wanted to annex for the USA at the beginning of the year, belongs to the territory of NATO partner Denmark.
Trump had, among other things, called on NATO allies to support the USA in securing the Strait of Hormuz. However, in view of the ongoing fighting, they held back from making any promises.
In another brief post hours later, Trump again expressed his displeasure. He accused NATO partners of not understanding anything without pressure, but did not become specific.
Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in early March in response to attacks by the United States and Israel. The transport of oil and liquid gas from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz was practically no longer possible, and world market prices rose rapidly.
Could the USA say goodbye to NATO?
Trump has repeatedly criticized what he sees as a lack of support from NATO partners for the war against Iran. In addition, some of his statements fueled fears of a possible US withdrawal from the transatlantic defense alliance. The US Senate would have to approve a withdrawal from NATO with a two-thirds majority – which is considered very unlikely.
Trump met with NATO Secretary General Rutte in the White House on Wednesday (local time). He told the US broadcaster CNN after the conversation that it was clear that Trump was “clearly disappointed” with the transatlantic alliance and several partner states. Rutte described the meeting with Trump as a “very open discussion between two friends.”
The dispute over Greenland
At the beginning of the year, Trump openly flirted with taking over the strategically important Arctic island of Greenland – even by force if necessary. After a storm of indignation among the European NATO partners, he ultimately decided not to do so. However, he insisted on negotiations on the issue. NATO also launched a new operation intended to increase its military presence in the Arctic.
Denmark and the government of largely autonomous Greenland strictly reject a takeover by the USA. The government in Copenhagen, among others, had also warned that a US annexation of Greenland would mean the end of the Western defense alliance.
Trump justified his actions by claiming that Greenland would otherwise not be safe from Russia and China. Greenland is four-fifths covered with ice and six times the size of Germany, but has just under 57,000 inhabitants.
