U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened that if NATO countries do not step in to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, the alliance faces a "dark future." However, the position of America's European allies is that they will not do so. As German Chancellor Friedrich Merz put it: this is not our war. It was, in a way, a mockery of the U.S. president who has repeatedly said that the war in Ukraine is not his war. Trump also cited Ukraine as an example, noting that the U.S. has helped Ukraine (European security) and that now it is Europe's turn to come to America's aid.

Let us recall that when Trump went to war against Iran, he declared with confidence that he did not need the help of allies because he and Israel could manage on their own.

Europe finds a backbone

As is well known, the attack on Iran came as a shock to Europe, since allies were not informed in advance. Until now, all such military operations had been joint efforts. Coalitions were formed in the cases of Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

An analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Michael Carpenter, titled his article published in Foreign Affairs "What Abandoning Democratic Allies Will Cost America." He was not referring only to Iran, but also to the United States' main rivals, China and Russia. Whose support can be relied upon if a serious confrontation with them arises?

The United States' arrogance toward its European allies is beginning to come at a cost. From Vice President J. D. Vance's speech at last year's Munich Security Conference, where he sharply criticized Europe, to Trump's demand that Canada and Greenland be incorporated into the United States.

Salt was rubbed in the wound by claims that allies' contributions in supporting the U.S. have so far been negligible, thereby insulting veterans of the United Kingdom and especially Denmark, as the latter lost the most soldiers in Afghanistan relative to its population.

"They will not come to our aid, but we will go to theirs," he declared. At the same time, it is worth recalling again and again that it was the United States that allies came to assist after the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001. This was the first time that NATO's collective defense clause, Article 5, was invoked.

All of this rhetoric is accompanied by constant threats that the United States may withdraw from NATO altogether.

For Europeans, it is also completely unacceptable that the United States temporarily lifted the embargo on Russian oil. This provides Russia's war machine with an additional ten billion dollars. Yet the war is being fought in Europe and Europeans must bear the resulting costs. U.S. military aid to Ukraine has ended and Europeans are paying for American weapons.

It is also strange that Trump does not seem to notice Russia's role in supporting Iran. When asked how he viewed reports that Russia is assisting Iran with intelligence, he said he knew nothing about it. And even if that is the case, the United States provides intelligence to Ukraine. Nevertheless, Russian intelligence assistance helps to kill American soldiers.

Ukraine's cards

The war with Iran has presented a unique opportunity for Ukraine. Already, 11 Persian Gulf countries have submitted requests for Ukraine to assist in countering Iranian drones, as Ukraine has unique, battlefield-tested experience.

Even in response to this, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he would certainly not ask Volodymyr Zelenskyy for help, claiming that the United States itself has the best drones in the world. That may be true, but high-tech reconnaissance and strike drones are of little use when cheap Iranian drones are attacking infrastructure in Persian Gulf countries. The U.S. has considered the Gulf states its allies, yet it now appears unable to protect them.

The demand for Ukraine's experience shows that Kyiv now holds the "cards" that Trump has repeatedly claimed it lacks.

Ukraine also has a practical reason for sending its specialists into the war zone. Low-cost counter-drone systems do not require the use of expensive missiles to shoot down Iranian drones — missiles that Ukraine needs to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. President Zelenskyy has said that in just three days of fighting, as many Patriot missiles were launched in the Gulf region as Ukraine has used over four years of war.

If Ukraine is now able to provide a meaningful service to Persian Gulf countries with its drone expertise, it could yield dividends in the near future. The countries in that region are wealthy and do not typically forget such assistance. One can only hope that Trump will be able to swallow his pride and acknowledge that Ukraine does, in fact, hold strong cards.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!