President Donald Trump is thinking of withdrawing the United States from NATO as members have been hesitant to join Operation Epic Fury.
“I was never swayed by NATO,” Trump told The Daily Telegraph in an exclusive interview published Wednesday.
The president said reconsidering the matter was “beyond consideration.”
“I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way,” Trump said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s words come after European nations saying no to the president after he asked them to send warships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This is where about 20% of the world’s oil supply travels.
Iran’s attacks have restricted access to the strait after the U.S. offensive against Iranian targets, raising concerns about global energy markets and economic stability.
“Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe. And I didn’t do a big sale. I just said, ‘Hey,’ you know, I didn’t insist too much. I just think it should be automatic,” Trump said.
“We’ve been there automatically, including Ukraine. Ukraine wasn’t our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us,” Trump added.
Trump criticized the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not participating in Operation Epic Fury.
“You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” Trump said.
Starmer responded to Trump by stating Britain is “fully committed to NATO,” calling it “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen.”
Starmer said “whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I am going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions I make.”
