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Trump Threatens to Cut Arms Sales to Ukraine If NATO Does Not Aid War ...
Trump Threatens to Cut Arms Sales to Ukraine If NATO Does Not Aid War Against Iran by Kyle Anzalone | Apr 3, 2026 President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off arms sales to Ukraine if NATO members do not join his coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. While Trump halted military aid to Ukraine, he has continued to sell weapons to NATO members, who transfer the arms to Kiev. According to sources speaking with The Financial Times, Washington was unhappy with members of NATO after President Donald Trump called on European states to join his “coalition of the willing” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and no states signed on. Tehran closed the Strait to most shipping after the US and Israel conducted a surprise attack on Iran. The White House responded by threatening to halt weapon sales to Ukraine. After President Trump halted military aid to Ukraine, NATO established the PURL fund to buy American weapons for Ukraine. Ukraine has relied on Western military aid for its war with Russia. As a result of Washington’s threats, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte persuaded several European leaders to sign a letter stating their intent to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. However, the statement was symbolic as none of the signatories agreed to provide military assistance for the operation. “It was Rutte who insisted on the joint statement because Trump had threatened to withdraw from Purl and from Ukraine in general,” an official told The Financial Times. “The statement was then quickly put together, and other countries joined in afterwards because there was not enough time to invite everyone to sign up straight away.” In a call with European leaders, Rutte described Trump’s temperament as “rather hysterical.” It appears the letter was enough to appease Trump in the short-term, as Washington has not announced the end of arms sales to PURL. However, the rift between Washington and NATO is growing. Trump, upset with Europe’s opposition to the war against Iran, told The Telegraph that he was considering pulling the US out of the alliance. Spain and other NATO states have barred US warplanes from using their airspace for operations against Iran. Kyle AnzaloneKyle Anzalone is news editor of the Libertarian Institute, opinion editor of Antiwar.com and co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Will Porter and Connor Freeman.View all posts Our Books
Macron Snaps Back at Trump, Reflecting Europe's Growing Anger Over Iran
AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.President Emmanuel Macron of France is among several European officials to speak out about the accumulated effect of President Trump’s criticisms of NATO and his war in Iran.Listen · 6:12 min VideoMacron Criticizes Trump for War in Iran and for Berating NATO AlliesPresident Emmanuel Macron of France on Thursday criticized President Trump for shifting his goals with the war in Iran during a trip through Asia. Mr. Macron also warned that the attacks on NATO were weakening the alliance.CreditCredit...Doug Mills/The New York TimesApril 2, 2026After absorbing a steady drip of anger, contempt and mockery from President Trump over Iran, Europe’s leaders have begun to snap back — and President Emmanuel Macron of France has emerged as the most vocal.On Thursday, Mr. Macron lashed out at Mr. Trump for what he said was an unserious approach to the war and unhelpful attacks on NATO. “When we’re serious, we don’t say the opposite of what we said the day before,” Mr. Macron said during a visit to South Korea.“We are talking about war, we are talking today about women and men who are in combat, about women, men and civilians who are being killed,” Mr. Macron said. “We’re also talking about the impact of this war on our economies.”It was striking display of exasperation with Mr. Trump, coming from a leader who has long prided himself on dealing tactfully with the American president and his mercurial ways. But it reflected a growing defiance on the part of Europeans, who had previously tried to balance their deep reservations about the military campaign with a desire not to antagonize Mr. Trump.Tensions are flaring over the use of Europe’s airspace and military bases, as countries have refused access to American or Israeli warplanes on offensive military missions. Leaders, even from pro-American countries like Britain, speak openly about the need for Europe to provide for its own security, apart from the United States.Even Europe’s effort to marshal a coalition to secure the key trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz, which began as a response to Mr. Trump’s demands for greater European support, has come to reflect how Europe is going its own way. Its leaders, who met on Thursday in a call organized by the British government, have rejected his call to forcibly seize the strait, which Iran has effectiv...
Financial Times: Trump threatened to cut off arms supplies to Ukraine ...
Donald Trump has reportedly threatened to cut off arms sales to Ukraine in an attempt to pressure European allies to join a "coalition of the willing" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
Trump threatens NATO exit, scaling up tensions with allies
Tensions between the United States and NATO allies flared up as President Donald Trump said he was considering pulling the U.S. out of the Western military alliance due to its European members ...
