Don't aggravate Trump on Iran: Veteran US ambassador to NATO's friendly advice to European leaders

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of U.S.-Iran relations and NATO's role in the context of European leaders' responses to ongoing conflicts.

The fragile ceasefire in the Persian Gulf and the uncertainty over peace talks between the U.S. and Iran have cast a long shadow over European capitals hoping for an end to hostilities in the Middle East. Will they have any say over what happens next? The wars in Iran and Ukraine have exposed the chasm between U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in Washington and opinion on this side of the Atlantic. Each time the president attacks NATO and the contribution of European countries to the alliance, confidence in its durability weakens. Host Anne McElvoy talks to Kurt Volker, whose job it was to manage relations between the U.S. and NATO allies as former ambassador to the organisation. He later served as U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, handling the negotiations during the first Trump administration. And later in this episode, Anne hears from Ian Wishart, who’s in Cyprus covering the informal summit of EU leaders. How will they wrestle with the war in Iran and its ongoing economic fallout? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Anne McElvoy

Guests: Kurt Volker, Ian Wishart

Topics covered

• Iran
• NATO
• U.S. foreign policy
• European leaders
• Middle East conflict
• Ukraine
• Trump administration

Keywords

• Iran
• NATO
• Trump
• Ukraine
• Middle East
• European leaders
• ceasefire
• foreign policy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NATO

Places: Iran, U.S., Cyprus, Europe, Middle East, Ukraine

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