Trump is not as powerful as he likes to bluff.
"Henry Foy in Brussels, Anne-Sylvaine Chassany in Berlin and Barney Jopson in Madrid
Published 9 HOURS AGO
The rebuttal was swift, emphatic — and cathartic. One by one, Donald Trump’s European allies rejected the US president’s demand to join his war in the Middle East. Leaders from Warsaw to Madrid, from Washington’s closest friends on the continent to the most Trump-sceptic, closed ranks to deliver the message: “This is not our war.”
This week’s collective refusal by Trump’s European partners of his demand to help him open the Strait of Hormuz by force — or risk a “bad” future for the Nato alliance — was remarkable for its force and unanimity. It was all the more striking after two weeks of chaotic division among the continent’s capitals over his war against Iran.
“The United States of America and Israel did not consult us prior to this war,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “The question of how Germany might become militarily involved here does not arise.”
Italy, France, Greece and Spain issued similar rejections. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK would “not be drawn into the wider war”. Even countries such as Poland, traditionally Washington’s most staunch transatlantic military partner, ruled out joining Trump’s proposed armada to force open the chokepoint affecting world oil supplies.
Faced with a conflict in which it risks having little leverage but much at stake, Europe has found a common voice and a joint message — one that contrasts with the deep divisions over George W Bush’s Iraq war two decades ago and which points to a deepening belief that appeasing Trump is not the only option available."
FT.com
Supporters of Israel still try to argue that Europe should do what Trump tells them.