Speaking in the Oval Office during an executive order signing on Thursday (30 April), President Donald Trump said the US could review troop deployments in Germany, Spain and Italy, citing a lack of allied support in the ongoing Iran conflict.
Expanding on his criticism of European allies, Trump said they “made a mess out of Ukraine”, arguing that the conflict is geographically and strategically more immediate to Europe than to the United States, which he described as “an ocean apart.”
He said that the US had provided substantial financial support under former President Joe Biden, claiming the scale of assistance contributed to the war continuing, and added: “when we needed them, they were not there. We have to remember that.”
Trump defended his stance on Iran, arguing that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a central security objective, stating that if such a position is accepted, then his administration’s actions “have been executed perfectly.”
His remarks reflect broader strains in transatlantic relations, with growing friction between the US and Europe over NATO burden-sharing, trade and tariff disputes, US interest in Greenland, and policy differences spanning immigration, energy policy, the Iran conflict, and wider security strategy.
Taken together, these disputes underscore increasing uncertainty over long-standing US–European alignment, even as both sides continue to frame cooperation as essential to broader Western security.
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