‘Not Our War’ dispute fuels US-Germany rift as Trump targets NATO burden-sharing

2026-03-28 - 06:43

US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized Friedrich Merz over Germany’s refusal to provide military support to secure the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Speaking at a conference in Miami, Trump broadened his criticism to include NATO allies, singling out both France and the United Kingdom over what he described as inadequate burden-sharing within the alliance. Trump claimed that Merz had dismissed involvement by saying, “This is not our war,” though the remark was originally made by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Drawing comparisons, Trump added that while the war in Ukraine is also “not our war,” the United States continues to provide support, dw.com reports. He reiterated warnings that Washington could reconsider its longstanding security commitments to NATO allies, questioning why the US should continue to defend partners that, in his view, are not reciprocating. “We spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO... protecting them,” Trump said, adding that future support may depend on allied contributions. Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul sought to ease tensions, stating there was “no disagreement” between Berlin and Washington. Speaking after talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in France, Wadephul emphasized that the US had not requested German military involvement at this stage and that any such discussions would come only after hostilities subside.