U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told Newsmax on Monday that European leaders’ failure to support President Donald Trump militarily against Iran demonstrates their tendency to “admire problems.”
“This is a favorite thing of the Europeans to do,” Whitaker said during an appearance on “Ed Henry The Big Take.” “They admire problems and talk about them.”
Whitaker accused allied nations of seeking the spoils of victory without taking necessary risks.
“Right now, the president has taken decisive action that will ultimately lead to peace in the Middle East and offer security and economic stability for decades,” Whitaker stated.
“And a lot of these allies are afraid to take any kind of risk. They want something handed to them on a platter.”
Trump told reporters on Monday he wants nations to help police the Strait of Hormuz after Iran responded to U.S.-Israeli attacks by deploying drones, missiles, and mines that effectively closed the channel for tankers carrying a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.
“Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t,” Trump said. “Some are countries we’ve helped for many years. We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me.”
Whitaker described President Trump’s moves against Iran as decisive.
“President Trump is a bold leader who knew the status quo was no longer acceptable,” Whitaker said. “Iran menaces its neighbors, lashing out against neighbors that have done nothing to them while trying to hold the world hostage with nuclear weapons. So President Trump took action.”
“We’re two weeks into this,” Whitaker added. “Everybody is worrying about ‘right now,’ but in the next few weeks, as President Trump executes his plans together with our military, you’ll see a big change in the Middle East.”
Whitaker said the outcome will be dramatic.
“I think it’s going to be a dramatic improvement from where we were just a few short weeks ago,” Whitaker stated.
