European nations have "gotten the message" from US President Donald Trump after he expressed “disappointment” with their lack of support in the Middle East conflict, Nato’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, has said.
“There has been some disappointment on the US side when it comes to European reaction to what is happening now in the Middle East and the campaign of Israel and the US against Iran,” Mr Rutte said.
“But I would also argue that what I’m hearing from all my contacts with European leaders is that European leaders have gotten the message, they’ve heard the message from the US loud and clear.”
European allies are now ensuring that agreements on the use of military bases are being implemented, Mr Rutte added. They are also pre-positioning “essential logistical and other support, for example, minehunters, minesweepers close to theatres” to be ready for “the next phase,” he said.
In recent weeks, France and the UK have been co-leading international efforts with European, Gulf and Asian countries to outline the framework of a defensive naval mission to help ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz once the war is over.
The US will begin guiding some neutral ships trapped in the Gulf out through the strait starting Monday, Mr Trump posted on social media on Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron said the decision to reopen the waterway was “very good” and something that allies “have been asking for from the start.”
“But we are not going to take part in any forceful operation within a framework that does not seem clear to me,” Mr Macron said, reiterating the position of many European countries.
Mr Rutte was speaking from the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on the margins of the European Political Community summit. The choice of Armenia, historically a close Russian ally, was highly symbolic for the gathering, which included Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for the first time.
Also present was Turkey's vice-president. "Although, at the EPC, no replacements are normally allowed for leaders who cannot attend, an exception has been made in this case due to the unique context and the historic moment in Armenia–Turkey relations," an EU official said.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations. Turkey is closely aligned with Azerbaijan, which fought Armenia in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. A peace agreement was struck last year under US mediation.
Asked whether the meeting was akin to a Nato summit without the US, Mr Rutte said: "Obviously, this is the European Political Community, so the United States is not a member but I have no doubt that global affairs will be discussed."
The US announcement in recent days that it would withdraw some troops from Europe prompted surprise and questions from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies. They were bracing themselves for a gradual reduction in US forces but were expecting the process to be coordinated and small in scale.
"The timing of this announcement comes as a surprise," the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said in Yerevan. US troops in Europe were not just protecting Europe but also serving “American interest,” she said. “I think it shows that we really have to strengthen the European pillar in NATO and we have to really do more."
The announcement marks the latest escalation in Trump’s criticism of the military alliance, whose other members he’s long accused of “freeloading” off US protection instead of paying more for their own defence. More recently, he has threatened to take over Greenland from Nato partner Denmark and criticised some allies for not doing more to help in Iran.
Some 35,000 troops — almost half the total of US forces in Europe — are stationed in Germany, where the American command for the region is headquartered. The US has relied heavily on its wide network of bases and other facilities in Germany, a legacy of the Cold War, to launch operations against Iran.
Any effort to reduce troop levels in Europe would probably face opposition in the US Congress.
