LONDON, April 10. /TASS/. European countries’ decision to restrict US access to military bases during the operation against Iran exposed a rift within NATO, The Financial Times writes, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, the move also "fuelled fears that Donald Trump could use it as a pretext to scale back Washington’s commitment to Europe’s defense."
A White House official told The Financial Times that in Trump's view, "NATO was tested and they failed."
Almost all European NATO members are broadly supportive of more "strategic autonomy" from the US — a French push that aligns with the Trump administration’s desire for the continent to take on more responsibility for its own defense, the paper notes. However, diplomats say that refusing to grant the US access to bases was a step too far, driven by domestic political considerations that ran counter to the spirit of mutual defense.
"The cost of this could be enormous," a diplomat said. "It was a complete own-goal, without question," another senior alliance diplomat stressed.
The US president has recently been strongly criticizing European NATO members for refusing to join the operation against Iran. Trump said in an interview with Reuters on April 1 that he was "absolutely" considering an attempt to withdraw the United States from the bloc.