US President Donald Trump stated that the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is not afraid of NATO at all, as the Alliance is a "paper tiger." This is reported by Yahoo, citing an ABC News interview, writes UNN.
Details
During a conversation with journalist Rachel Scott, Trump said he was "testing NATO" in the Strait of Hormuz. He claims that his calls for help to unblock the strait were just a test for the Alliance, and that he actually did not need help.
"I said, 'I'd be happy if you participated.' And they said, 'Well, we can't say.' I said, 'Oh, no big deal.' I didn't even try to persuade it (the Alliance - ed.). They probably thought, 'He's a terrible salesman.' Because I just said, 'I'd be happy if you participated,'" the US president said.
He then reiterated that his calls were just an experiment and added that NATO is a "paper tiger" that has nothing and that Putin is not afraid.
"I did it as an experiment. I didn't need it, right? They are a paper tiger. A paper tiger. They have no ships. They have nothing, and Putin is absolutely not afraid of them. But I did it as an experiment," the White House chief summarized.
Recall
Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Tehran regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz under threat of infrastructure destruction. He threatened to destroy bridges.