Jo Harper
16 March 2026•Update: 16 March 2026
WARSAW
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Monday criticized US President Donald Trump for referring to NATO allies as separate from the United States while urging them to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“It is slightly disconcerting that President Trump is speaking of NATO in terms of ‘them,’ and not in terms of ‘us,’” Sikorski told reporters in Brussels, responding to Trump’s call for European allies to help clear the blockade of the strategic Gulf waterway.
Speaking ahead of talks with fellow foreign ministers, Sikorski said it was “a little disturbing” to hear the US president refer to NATO in those terms while pressing European countries to contribute to efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.
Trump made the request in a recent interview with the Financial Times, warning that NATO could face a “very bad” future if allies refused to assist the United States in reopening the waterway after it was effectively closed amid escalating tensions with Iran.
The US president argued that countries heavily dependent on energy shipments through the Persian Gulf -- including Britain, France, Japan and South Korea -- should provide naval assets and other military support to secure the route.
Sikorski also pointed to the possibility of NATO consultations under Article 4 of the alliance’s founding treaty, noting that no such consultations had yet been triggered.
Article 4 allows member states to request talks when they believe their territorial integrity, political independence or security is at risk.
Sikorski also indicated that Poland has no plans to become directly involved in the Middle East conflict, arguing that Warsaw must prioritize security challenges closer to home, particularly Russia’s war against Ukraine and threats along NATO’s eastern flank.
“We have a war at our border, an aggressive Russia with an imperial state ideology that sends drones into our airspace; we have enough to deal with here, next to us,” he said in a recent interview with the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita.
Poland remains one of the US’s closest allies in Europe and a strong supporter of NATO’s collective defense commitments. However, Trump’s comments have reignited debate within the alliance over burden-sharing and the role European militaries should play in conflicts beyond NATO territory.
Escalating tensions in the Middle East have raised concerns among Western governments that any prolonged disruption could affect global energy markets and further destabilize the region.
