United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on a diplomatic mission to reassure nervous US allies in Europe over shifting Trump administration positions on NATO and possible troop reductions. He will attend a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, today, while senior Pentagon officials are set to brief the 32-member alliance in Brussels on US defence commitments in Europe.
The talks come ahead of a NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey in July and amid growing uncertainty over the Iran conflict and stalled efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Rubio declined to comment on further changes to US troop levels in Europe, including possible reductions under the NATO Force Model, a contingency defence plan. The administration had earlier halted the deployment of thousands of US troops to Poland and Germany. However, President Trump later posted that the US would send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, creating confusion over whether this reverses the earlier decision or adds new forces.
Rubio said Mr. Trump and other officials are very disappointed with NATO, particularly over its response to the Iran conflict. While affirming support for the alliance, he questioned its value to the US, citing limited cooperation from some allies, including Spain, over access to bases and operations linked to the Strait of Hormuz. He also said most NATO members agree Iran should not develop nuclear weapons, but few supported US actions to prevent it.
