Bloomberg recently reported on the exposure of private messages exchanged between high-ranking US officials, shedding light on their planning for strikes on Houthi militants. The messages revealed a strong contempt towards European allies and accusations of them taking advantage of US efforts in Yemen. Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed frustration over what they perceived as European countries benefiting without contributing enough. This conversation was disclosed as part of a story in The Atlantic, where Vance and Hegseth criticized European nations for not pulling their weight. The leaked texts also suggested that the US administration planned to impose the costs of the strikes on the Europeans, in line with President Trump's directives. The strained relationship between the US and its European allies had already been exacerbated by Trump's criticisms of their defense spending and trade policies. Vance's remarks at a security conference and Hegseth's speech at NATO further fueled tensions. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt commented on the situation, highlighting Vance's deep-seated resentment towards Europe as reflected in the private messages.