Children play by the shore at Kumzar Village in Oman, Feb. 19, 2025. Kumzar, a remote fishing village in the Musandam Peninsula in northern Oman, located in a sheltered harbor near the strategic shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz. (Xinhua/Wang Qiang)

European leaders underscored that the current conflict should not evolve into a NATO mission or draw the continent into a broader war.

BERLIN, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Multiple European nations and the European Union (EU) on Monday voiced reluctance or outright opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump's call for a military mission to ensure safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Stressing the need for diplomatic solutions and warning against further regional escalation, European leaders underscored that the current conflict should not evolve into a NATO mission or draw the continent into a broader war.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruled out any military involvement in protecting oil tankers in the strait, emphasizing that NATO is a "defense alliance" rather than an "intervention alliance."

Merz said Germany will not participate in military measures to ensure freedom of navigation as long as the conflict continues, adding that no viable concept for such an operation has been presented so far.

His remarks were echoed in Brussels by EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas. After a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Kallas stated the bloc has no appetite for expanding its existing naval mission "Aspides" to the Strait of Hormuz.

"We are working on the diplomatic solutions for the Strait of Hormuz," she said, adding, "This is not Europe's war."

In Southern Europe, Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said Portugal "is not and will not be involved in this conflict."

Rangel also dismissed threats from the Trump administration regarding NATO members unwilling to back Washington, saying they deserved "absolutely no reaction."

Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also expressed doubts, noting that existing missions like "Aspides" and "Atalanta" are primarily designed for defensive escort and anti-piracy operations, making their extension to the high-risk Strait of Hormuz difficult.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London is working with allies on a "viable plan" to restore navigation but clarified that it "won't be and it's never been envisioned to be a NATO mission."

The cautious stance comes amid visible friction with Washington. Trump recently criticized Britain in a Financial Times interview, claiming London "didn't want to come" when first asked for help and only offered ships after the "danger capacity" was reduced.

In Northern and Eastern Europe, limited resources and strategic priorities played a major role in the refusals. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said Finland has "hardly any additional resources" and that the strait is not a "top priority."

Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson similarly said Sweden's strategic focus remains on northern areas.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski confirmed that Poland has "no plans" to participate, and Bulgaria's Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Nadezhda Neynski said her country lacks the capacity for such a mission.

Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported that Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten has confirmed that the Netherlands is not currently considering participating.

"At the moment, any mission in the Strait of Hormuz will need an ease in tensions in the region," Jetten said during his visit to Berlin on Monday.

Analysts say U.S. pressure may be aimed at pushing European allies toward greater involvement. Markku Kangaspuro, research director at the Aleksanteri Institute of the University of Helsinki, questioned whether NATO countries should enter a war "the United States and Israel launched illegally."

Noting that this is the first time Washington had sought to involve NATO countries in the war with Iran, Kangaspuro said it suggests that the United States launched the war without sufficient consideration. "The repercussions were not evaluated enough," he said.