It has emerged that US President Donald Trump threatened to stop weapons supplies to Ukraine under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) programme unless European allies joined the operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: European Pravda, citing the Financial Times

Details: Last month, Donald Trump demanded that NATO allies help him reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had blocked, but was rebuffed by European capitals.

Three officials familiar with the matter reported that in response, Trump threatened to stop supplies of US weapons to Ukraine under the PURL programme, which is financed by NATO member states.

As a result, and at the behest of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, a group of countries that included key alliance members France, Germany and the UK released a hastily drafted statement on 19 March, saying they were willing "to contribute to appropriate efforts" to ensure safe passage through the strait.

The Financial Times reports that Rutte had taken part in numerous phone calls with Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio before the statement was issued.

One source said that during a phone call with France, Germany and the UK, Rutte explained that Trump was "rather hysterical" at the Europeans' refusal to help protect the Strait of Hormuz. British officials, commenting on the matter, did not deny that Washington had threatened to withdraw support for Ukraine unless NATO countries upped their efforts.

A NATO official declined to comment on the content of Rutte's phone calls with other leaders.

Background:

• Trump said he would state during his address to the nation on 1 April that he is "absolutely" considering the possibility of the US withdrawing from NATO. He said this is because Alliance countries had refused to help Washington in the operation to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Earlier, The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon is considering redirecting military aid intended for Ukraine to the Middle East, as the war with Iran is depleting some of the US armed forces' most critical munitions.
• On 28 March, Rubio said the US is not diverting weapons purchased by NATO countries for Ukraine to the Middle East, but he did not rule out that possibility in the future.

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