US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that former President Donald Trump's 'disappointment' with NATO will be a key topic at the upcoming summit in Ankara, which he described as 'one of the most important summits in the history of NATO.' Speaking during a ministerial meeting in Sweden, Rubio thanked the host nation but quickly shifted to the challenges ahead.
Rubio Highlights NATO's Need to Address US Concerns
Rubio emphasized that the Ankara summit would be 'one of the more important leaders’ summits in the history of NATO,' as leaders must respond to Trump's dissatisfaction with the alliance's 'response to our operations in the Middle East.' He noted that this issue 'will have to be addressed' at the leaders' level, adding that it would not be resolved during the current ministerial meeting.
Regarding the US announcement on Poland, Rubio stated that 'the United States continues to have global commitments that it needs to meet in terms of our force deployment, and that constantly requires us to reexamine where we put troops.' He stressed that this is 'not a punitive thing, it’s just something that’s ongoing, and it was pre-existing.'
Opportunities for Cooperation
Rubio also expressed optimism about working with NATO on the defence industrial base, noting 'plenty of scope' for collaboration. The remarks come amid ongoing tensions between the US and NATO allies over burden-sharing and strategic priorities.
