Europe says no to helping the US, because Trump has no plan

I write about healthcare issues, but I also sometimes write about political issues because politicians have a profound influence on the health and survival of their citizens. And when presidents decide to attack another country with their military, the consequences are always horrible for both sides of the conflict, and often also for many other countries.

Trump and Netanyahu attacked Iran on February 28. As many Americans might not understand why Europe has rejected Trump’s pleas for help, I bring below a news report released yesterday from the Danish public TV and radio channel (my translation).

Europe says no to helping the US, because Trump has no plan

The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran without consulting allies in Europe. Now the US and Israel are left alone to solve the problems the two countries have created.

- This is not Europe’s war.

That was the clear message from EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday when she summarised the views of the foreign ministers of the 27 EU countries on the US and Israel’s war against Iran.

EU foreign ministers spent part of Monday discussing how EU countries should respond to the war against Iran and, above all, how the EU should respond to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Much of the oil and gas used in Europe comes from countries around the Persian Gulf and must pass through the Strait of Hormuz to reach Europe.

US President Donald Trump has called on a number of countries to help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. He wants help from Europe, among other things. And President Trump has also threatened that if European NATO countries do not help the United States reopen the Strait of Hormuz, it could have serious consequences for the NATO defense alliance:

- If there is no response, or if the response is negative, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO, said Donald Trump.

But the threat has not made much of an impression on the countries in Europe.

Large European countries such as Britain, France and Germany have all said no to helping the US. So have smaller countries such as the shipping nation Greece.

You would think that a threat that something serious could happen to NATO cooperation – combined with an international crisis that has caused the price of oil and gas to rise in Europe – would make Europe’s political leaders come to the US’s aid.

But as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas concluded after Monday’s EU foreign ministers’ meeting, there was ‘no appetite’ for a European military involvement in the Strait of Hormuz.

The explanation is simple

Europeans do not believe that the US has a clear plan. Neither for how to end the war against Iran nor for how the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened for extensive shipping of oil, gas and fertiliser.

And the EU foreign ministers in Brussels did nothing to hide the fact that they have difficulty seeing how the US and Israel intend to end the war they have started.

Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen was one of the foreign ministers who pointed out that the end goal of the war is unclear. And the German foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, was even more brutal when he made it clear to the assembled press that the Europeans do not even know when the US and Israel intend to stop the ongoing bombing of Iran.

The German Foreign Minister’s conclusion was clear. As long as there is a war going on – and no one knows when that war will end – it makes no sense to discuss whether to send a naval mission to the Strait of Hormuz to secure the transport of oil, gas and fertiliser.

Respect for the US is gone

The clear European refusal to help the US should cause deep frowns in Washington.

It says a lot about Europe’s view of the US that European countries - one by one - are refusing to help the US. And this despite the US president asking for help and even threatening the Europeans that there could be serious consequences for NATO if they do not help the US.

It is not normal for the US president to ask Europe for help and then get the answer: ‘It is not Europe’s war’.

Since World War II, it has been almost a European military doctrine that when the US asks for help, a number of European countries come forward and help.

The European country that has always been the first to help the US is the UK. But this time, the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, was one of the first to say no to help. A British no to the US says a lot about how respect for Donald Trump’s US has disappeared in Europe.

European politicians believe that the US has failed Europe when it comes to aid to Ukraine. The US has imposed tariffs on goods from Europe. The US has threatened to turn its back on NATO. The US breaks international rules again and again. And it has gradually become everyday life for European politicians to have to deal with a steady stream of threats and degrading statements from the US president.

This kind of thing will have consequences in the long run.

When the EU heads of state and government meet for a summit in Brussels on Thursday, the EU leaders will discuss whether to launch a comprehensive plan that will make Europe independent of the US, among other things, in a few years.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Sunday evening that the US is no longer Denmark’s closest ally. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is not alone in Europe in this view. More and more countries have lost respect for the US. And the belief that the old, familiar US will return is gone.

When the plan is ready, Europe is ready

The European refusal to help the US with the Strait of Hormuz is not a decision of principle. It is due above all to the lack of a clear plan for what the US and Israel want with their attack on Iran.

Iran has clearly shown that the country can make shipping in the Strait of Hormuz a very dangerous affair. At the same time, the war shows that the US - despite its enormous military power - is not strong enough - with military force alone - to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

If the narrow Strait of Hormuz is to be opened to shipping again - without imminent risk to the ships passing through - then it requires that Israel and the US stop the hostilities. As long as there is war, shipping is associated with great risk. And if shipping in Hormuz is to really pick up speed again, it also requires some form of contact and agreement with those in power in Iran.

Both shipowners and the insurance companies that will insure the ships require a certain probability that sailing through the Strait of Hormuz is safe. And here, military protection is not sufficient. There must also be an understanding with Iran that the ships can sail without being exposed to attacks from drones, missiles or mines.

The moment some form of peace and understanding is established with Iran, the Europeans will be ready to help with a military presence in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

But without a plan and with continued hostilities, President Trump must live with the fact that the Europeans say no when he calls. Even though he threatens that it could have consequences for NATO.

Threats cannot make European politicians send soldiers into the middle of a war that the United States has started together with Israel. Because, as EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas made it clear several times to the press in Brussels on Monday evening:

- This is not Europe’s war.