Bolton criticises EU’s stance on Iran war amid Ukraine conflict concerns
John Bolton stated that Europe risks prompting Trump to abandon support for Ukraine due to its perceived inaction regarding the conflict in Iran.
EU leaders reaffirmed their commitment to aid Ukraine, despite Bolton’s criticisms and ongoing discussions surrounding geopolitical tensions and Hungary’s veto on financial support.
EU leaders are currently evaluating the implications of the Iran conflict during a crucial summit in Brussels, addressing the energy crisis and Hungary’s loan veto for Ukraine.
Briefing summary
John Bolton, former national security advisor, has warned that Europe’s response to the Iran conflict may influence US President Donald Trump’s engagement in the Ukraine war.
Bolton urged that the lack of political will among EU leaders regarding the Iranian threat could be a critical mistake, labelling the ongoing conflict as “Europe’s war.”
EU leaders convened in Brussels for a summit addressing the Middle East tensions and Hungary’s veto of a €90 billion loan for Ukraine amid the energy crisis.
‘Iran war is Europe’s war’, says former Trump security advisor
Published on •Updated
Europe’s stance on the Iran war risks US President Donald Trump walking away from the conflict in Ukraine, his former national security advisor, John Bolton, has said, criticising the EU’s reaction to the situation in the Middle East.
In an interview with EU News, Bolton, who also previously served as the US’s ambassador to the UN, branded the Iran conflict as “Europe’s war.”
“Europe is just as much, if not more, at risk from nuclear attacks if Iran gets nuclear weapons,” said Bolton. “It has the missile capability to hit Central and Eastern Europe – not the United States.”
He warned that EU leaders could be handing an “invitation” to Trump to decide that “Ukraine is not America’s war,” branding the lack of political will across the bloc to partake in the war on Iran as a “mistake.”
“Trump will declare a victory no matter what happens, and the argument will be that the nuclear weapons programme has been set back further, that support for international terrorism has been set back further,” Bolton said. “But if the regime survives, however much damage has been done to it, it will build back, and the nuclear threat and terrorism threat will simply return.”
Bolton spoke to EU News via video call on the sidelines of a crunch EU summit in Brussels, as leaders gathered to discuss the war in the Middle East, the looming energy crisis, and Hungary’s veto on a €90 billion loan for Ukraine.
Watch the full interview in the video player above.