European leaders harden stance against Trump's 'pointless' war

Andrea Palasciano, Jan Bratanic and Max Ramsay, Bloomberg News on Mar 19, 2026

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Leaders from the European Union stepped up criticism of Donald Trump’s war in Iran in a clear indication they don’t plan to heed the U.S. president’s demand for allies to help America’s military secure the Strait of Hormuz while fighting continues.

At an E.U. summit in Brussels, leaders from the 27 member states will discuss the situation in the Middle East and the fallout it’s had on markets, with European gas futures surging as much as 35% on Thursday and Brent crude rising as high as $117 a barrel.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been the most outspoken in the group, calling the war “illegal” and saying it’s undermining global rules. But ever since German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the conflict earlier this week, other leaders have begun strengthening their opposition.

“The situation in Iran is becoming unsustainable,” Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said ahead of the meeting. “We need to do everything to protect energy infrastructure and for this pointless war to end as soon as possible.”

Attacks on the world’s largest LNG facility in Qatar overnight have heaped fresh pressure on energy prices. And with the Strait of Hormuz shuttered, energy prices have jumped, leaving governments worried about inflation, industrial slowdowns and even food supply disruptions.

Trump scolded NATO allies this week, denouncing their “foolish mistake” not to get involved. “I’ve long said I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us,” Trump said at the White House. “This was a great test because we don’t need them, but they should have been there.”

Germany, France, Canada, Greece and Norway are among those that have explicitly ruled out participating in the U.S.-Israeli operations.

“The actions of the U.S. are hard to predict — a strategy is hardly recognizable,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said in Brussels. “But Europe and also Austria will not let themselves be blackmailed.”

While energy prices in Europe have not reached the levels that were seen in 2022 in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Brussels is trying to find short-term solutions to the current problem.

“We are very worried about the energy crisis,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on his way into the meeting. “This war has created another spike in prices and if this becomes structural then we’re in deep trouble.”

In a letter to leaders ahead of the summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the leaders would discuss ways to address short-term price increases, including carbon, grid charges and energy taxes. They’ll also raise the the Emissions Trading System, the cornerstone of the E.U.’s energy policy.

Germany’s Merz reiterated that Berlin wouldn’t get involved in the conflict. “I want us to send a clear signal that we are ready to help, but for that to happen, the fighting must cease.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke to Trump Wednesday and noted a new push from the U.S. president to stop attacks on energy infrastructure. “If production capacities themselves are destroyed, there will be a much more lasting impact from this war,” he said.

European Council President Antonio Costa, who is chairing Thursday’s meeting, stressed the need to uphold international law, noting that United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres would address leaders over lunch on the latest developments in the crisis.

“If you want to preserve stability, if you want to preserve peace, we need to uphold international law and underpin the multilateral system,” he said.

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—With assistance from John Ainger, Daniel Basteiro, Aaron Eglitis, Katharina Rosskopf, Michael Nienaber, Samy Adghirni, Jorge Valero and Ewa Krukowska.