Kurt Volker, a former US ambassador to NATO, has a blunt message for European leaders: keep your criticism of Donald Trump to yourself, or risk making things worse. The warning came during a recent podcast appearance and has set off fresh debate over how the transatlantic alliance should handle the ongoing rift over the war in Iran.
Speaking on Politico’s “EU Confidential” podcast, as reported by The Hill, Volker said European leaders are free to privately think the US approach to Iran is a mistake. Going public with those views, though, is a different matter. “You might think that this is a huge folly and going to have terrible consequences, but you don’t have to say it,” Volker said. “By saying it, you alienate Donald Trump and you run the risk that he will then link your unhappiness with his policies to his unhappiness for some of your policies.”
Volker served as US ambassador to NATO from 2008 to 2009 and later worked in the first Trump administration as a special representative to Ukraine. He argued that public criticism risks “fragmenting a transatlantic relationship that is still valuable to both of us.” He pointed to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte as the model European leaders should follow, noting that Rutte has avoided antagonizing Trump while still supporting stability in the region.
NATO allies have already been defying Trump
The advice comes at a tense moment for US-Europe relations. Several NATO members, including Italy, France, the UK, Germany, and Spain, have been openly critical of the US decision to strike Iran. Most have also declined Trump’s request to commit warships to policing the Strait of Hormuz. Some have gone further, refusing to allow the US to use shared bases for Iran operations. France and another European country convened 51 nations in Paris to discuss a “strictly defensive” approach to protecting shipping lanes, per The Hill’s reporting.
Trump, for his part, has not been quiet about his frustration. Earlier in April, he told The Telegraph that his thinking on NATO had gone “beyond reconsideration,” calling the alliance a “paper tiger.” The current US ambassador to NATO, Matt Whitaker, told Newsmax that Trump was “reevaluating” the country’s membership in the alliance outright.
Volker says both sides need to dial it back
Volker’s stance is not simply pro-Trump. In a separate appearance on Fox News, he was equally direct about failures on the US side, saying Washington “did not inform allies. We did not consult with allies. We did not set up a clear goal, a common operation.” He called on both Washington and European capitals to pause and focus on what actually matters. “We need to stop the rhetoric, talk to each other and come up with a way forward on actually opening up the Persian Gulf and ending the war with Iran and restoring security in Europe,” he said.
His broader argument is that even if European leaders believe the US strategy in Iran is badly off course, picking public fights with Trump serves no one. He suggested they instead find ways to engage constructively, noting that there are “proactive ways to engage without antagonizing President Trump unnecessarily.”
The warning lands against the backdrop of a deepening NATO rift. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill, such as those pushing to remove Donald Trump via the 25th Amendment, have also been watching the foreign policy fallout closely. Meanwhile, Trump has made clear that global pushback will not change his approach, having already warned China of big problems over a separate weapons deal with Iran.
