Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker told Newsmax on Thursday that European allies are hearing President Donald Trump's latest threats against the alliance but warned they remain "completely confused" about what Washington wants from them as tensions deepen over the administration's handling of the war with Iran.
Volker's comments on "Wake Up America" came after Trump said he was "absolutely" considering a U.S. exit from NATO, renewing one of the most serious questions hanging over the 32-member alliance as Secretary-General Mark Rutte prepares for a Washington visit that NATO has described as long planned.
NATO says the alliance remains a defensive pact whose decisions are made by consensus among its members.
"They're definitely hearing him, but they're completely confused as well," Volker said, arguing that Trump "has not made clear to Europeans what he wants from them."
He said the uncertainty is not only about burden-sharing or defense spending but about the administration's broader strategic aim as the conflict with Iran disrupts global energy markets and strains relations with Europe.
Volker said, "So I hope what Mark Rutte does when he comes to Washington is sit down with the president and say, 'Let's sketch out now what are the goals that you have for NATO? What's the operational plan that you want to execute?'"
"'How are we going to fit together to do this?' Because allies are willing to help, but they need to have some clarity," he explained.
Volker's remarks come at a volatile moment for the alliance, with Trump sharply criticizing NATO after European allies resisted joining a U.S.-backed effort to force open the Strait of Hormuz following Iran's shutdown of shipping through the vital waterway.
The closure has rattled world markets, and it was reported Thursday that Britain convened more than 40 countries to discuss ways to reopen the strait, underscoring how European governments are increasingly looking for coordinated responses even as Trump questions NATO's value.
Volker suggested Trump's attacks on NATO are also political.
"He's criticizing NATO because he has gotten himself into a situation that is not looking very good," Volker said.
"We launched this war. The regime is still there; they shut down shipping. Oil prices are through the roof," he added.
"So he's changing the topic by blaming NATO," Volker said of Trump.
Volker nonetheless said Europe has a direct stake in the crisis and should be part of a common approach rather than a trans-Atlantic shouting match.
"Europe has a very direct interest in the free flow of energy through the Persian Gulf, [and] in a better Iranian regime than the one that has been there since 1979," he said.
But Volker cautioned that "launching a war to overthrow the regime is a complicated, difficult thing," adding, "Nobody asked them; President Trump just did it."
Volker said the answer is not deeper division, but a joint strategy.
"We should be trying to do this together," he said. "We shouldn't be shouting across the Atlantic."
"We should be figuring out what's the goal, what's the plan? What are the military roles that we all can play here? How do we fix this?" Volker said.
Any attempt by a president to withdraw the United States from NATO would face a legal and political fight in Washington, as a 2023 law bars unilateral withdrawal without Senate approval or an act of Congress.
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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