After a year of tariff threats, insults and diplomatic clashes with European allies, President Donald Trump is left to wage a war in Iran with only Israel by his side.
“This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said on Monday after U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to allow the U.S. to use British bases as part of its initial strikes, only later allowing the use of its bases for “defensive” actions.
A day later, after Spain barred U.S. military planes from using its jointly operated bases in Andalusia, Trump said the U.S. would seek to “cut off all trade with Spain,” a member of the European Union’s single market.
France, backing Spain in its row, further risked the president’s ire as President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that the strikes on Iran were “outside the framework of international law.”
Some European leaders have remained in Trump’s good graces for now. Germany’s conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who sat beside Trump when the president vented about Spain, appears to have remained in Trump’s favor after permitting the U.S. Ramstein Air Base to be used amid the conflict.
“Germany’s been great,” Trump said. “They’re letting us land in certain areas, and we appreciate it.”
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported Sunday that Trump has praised the country’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has said Italy would respect existing agreements on the use of bases. In a phone interview, Trump called her a “great leader” who “always tries to help.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that Trump expects “all of our European allies, of course, to cooperate in this long-sought-after mission,” claiming Iran “threatens our European allies as well.”
While European allies played key roles in past military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. has waged war without its allies before, with Western Europe most notably declining to send any troops to Vietnam, though some countries provided other support.
The continent’s cautious response to the war in Iran, and Trump’s broader threats, have sparked fears that a diplomatic divide could escalate into another trade confrontation, but one expert played down the rift between the trans-Atlantic partners.
“We should not be deceived into believing that the European governments do not really support the United States in Iran,” said Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics.
“We should not really focus on the rhetoric of European leaders,” he added. “We should focus on their actions and their deployment of naval and air power to support to provide other direct or indirect support for the American-Israeli war in Iran.”
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Friday that Washington’s foreign policy shift had “rocked the trans-Atlantic relationship to its foundation,” but appeared to align the bloc with the U.S., accusing Iran of being “an exporter of war.”
She told reporters at a press conference that Iran was trying to “sow chaos” in the region and that she saw a chance for the Iranian people to “determine their own future.”
Despite Europe’s disagreements with Trump, “despite his bullying, despite his humiliation of Europe, most European leaders are still feel that they are dependent on the American strategic umbrella,” added Gerges.
Spain’s prime minister is “the only one who has stood up,” he said.
While responses to requests from the U.S. have differed, Europe remains unified on the need to defend the continent from any Iranian threats.
Spain, Italy, France and the Netherlands have deployed naval and air assets to Cyprus, a member of the European Union, after an Iranian-made drone struck a British base in the country on Monday.
Spain sent its most advanced warship to the eastern Mediterranean, signaling its continued commitment to European defense cooperation despite the refusal to aid Trump.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday that one of its two aircraft carriers had been placed on advanced readiness, raising speculation it could be deployed to the Mediterranean.
“That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer,” Trump responded on Truth Social. “We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”
But the United States’ various requests for European support appear to show some desire for a mutually beneficial relationship with Europe, which at times has appeared uncertain since Trump’s return to office.
“I think Trump has come to realize that Europe is important,” Michael Bociurkiw, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, told NBC News. The president has “approached many governments for support, and probably believes they are not supportive enough.”
In 2025, Bociurkiw added, European governments were coming to Washington “with bended knee, trying to butter Trump up” as they tried to rally support from Washington for the war in Ukraine, “but I think they’re realizing now that they need to act more independently.”
A year ago, Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” with no “cards” to play, slashing support for Ukraine in its war with Russia while promoting a peace deal that would see the Eastern European nation concede vast swaths of land.
But Zelenskyy said Wednesday that the U.S. has now turned to it for help on anti-drone defenses, tapping into Ukraine’s years of experience combating the Iran-designed Shahed drones deployed by Russia.
“We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against ‘Shaheds’ in the Middle East region,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security.”
Zelenskyy is “holding a much stronger deck of cards than he was a week ago,” added Bociurkiw.
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