Trump threatened Europe to stop arms supplies to Ukraine – FT
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump attends a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured) at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, England. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
US President Donald Trump has told European allies that the US will stop arms supplies to Ukraine if they do not join in unblocking the Strait of Hormuz.
This was reported by the Financial Times.
Last month, Trump asked European countries to help the United States unblock the Strait of Hormuz. However, they refused.
In response, according to three officials, Trump threatened to stop arms shipments through the PURL mechanism.
Then, on March 19, at the insistence of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, a number of states, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, issued a coordinated statement in which they emphasized their readiness to join efforts to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The statement was then quickly drafted, and other countries joined it later, as there was not enough time to invite everyone to sign it at once,” the FT source told the paper.
Before that, Rutte had several phone conversations with US Secretary of State Mark Rubio, as well as Trump.
As one source notes, in a conversation with French, German, and British representatives, the NATO Secretary General explained that Trump “was quite angry” about the Europeans’ refusal to participate in unblocking the strait.
At the same time, the White House assured that the American president “clearly expressed his disappointment” with NATO and other allies.
Trump previously stated that the United States no longer needs the help of allies for the operation to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
By the way, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that after the end of the war in Iran, the US will review its membership in the North Atlantic Alliance .
Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , X , Telegram , and Instagram.