US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Friday renewed his criticism of Nato allies and called out European leaders who said the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz “is not Europe’s war.” “Well, Ukraine isn’t our war, yet we’ve contributed more to that fight than anyone,” he said, underscoring growing US frustration over what Washington sees as uneven allied engagement in crises with global consequences.He said that United States has shouldered a disproportionate share of global security responsibilities while its partners have been reluctant to step in when Washington needed support. “The U.S. is constantly asked to help in wars, and we have,” Rubio said. “But when we had a need, we didn’t get positive responses from Nato.”
Rubio’s comments come amid calls for European and Asian allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies — where Iranian restrictions on shipping have disrupted trade and pushed energy prices higher.“Well, it’s in their interests to help,” Rubio said on Thursday just before flying to France for a meeting of top diplomats from the G7 nations. “Very little of our energy comes through the Strait of Hormuz. It’s the world that has a great interest in that, so they should step up and deal with it”, he added.The US secretary’s remarks that “Ukraine is not our war” have raised triggered a discussion on the historical security commitments under the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances. Signed in December 1994, the United States, United Kingdom, and Russia pledged to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty after Kyiv gave up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. The memorandum offered assurances rather than binding military obligations and did not require intervention if Ukraine’s borders were violated.
