Marco Rubio Meets NATO Foreign Ministers in Sweden Over Trump’s Troop Plans and Iran Dispute

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Sweden on Friday to meet NATO foreign ministers and reassure uneasy European allies about the Trump administration’s commitment to the 32-member alliance as the United States takes steps to pull back its military footprint in Europe.

Rubio said Trump and other administration officials remain “very disappointed” with NATO, particularly over the alliance’s response to the Iran conflict, and he pointed to Spain for refusing to allow U.S. access to military bases during the war.

CNN Arabic

The meeting, ahead of a NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey in July, came as uncertainty persisted over the future of U.S. troop deployments in Europe, including Trump’s Thursday announcement that the United States would send 5,000 troops to Poland.

Rubio also said he was “very disappointed” with NATO right now, while NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the United States “will stay involved” in NATO but could gradually shift military resources to other parts of the world.

U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of both American and NATO forces in Europe, said Europe’s security would not be compromised but warned allies to expect additional troop reductions in the coming years.

At the gathering in Helsingborg, Sweden, Rubio told reporters in Miami that “There are countries like Spain that refuse to allow us to use these bases - well, why are you in NATO then?,” tying the dispute to the alliance’s value for U.S. power projection.

Rubio also argued that nearly all NATO allies agree Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, but that few supported Trump’s efforts to confront Tehran, saying, “He’s not asking them to commit troops. He’s not asking them to send their fighter jets in. But they refuse to do anything.”

France 24

The Guardian reported Rubio expected the rift to be discussed at the July meeting in Ankara, describing it as “one of the more important” in NATO’s 77-year history.

Rubio said after the meeting that he discussed the possibility of a plan for reopening the straits, telling foreign ministers, “We have to have a plan B for if someone is shooting, then how do you reopen the straits?”

The Guardian also reported that NATO ministers were seeking clarity after Trump’s “confusing” about-face on U.S. troops in Europe, including the cancellation of deployments to Poland and Germany followed by Trump’s social-media announcement of additional troops to Poland.

Rubio said Iran’s plan to establish a system to collect tolls for crossing the Strait of Hormuz is “unacceptable, and no country should accept such a thing,” and he said an “alternative plan” should be prepared if Iran refuses to reopen the strait to navigation.

“Rubio meets with NATO allies amid strains over Iran and US troop plans (TNND) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Sweden on Friday to meet with NATO foreign ministers and reassure uneasy European allies about the Trump administration’s commitment to the 32-member alliance”

KEYE

The Guardian reported that US troop numbers in Europe are expected to drop from 80,000 after a review, while Rubio emphasized that “the United States’ troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted,” even as the exact cut remained unclear.

The Jerusalem Post reported that European ministers were expected to try to placate the U.S. by stressing they are ready to help with freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz when conditions permit and to take more responsibility for European security.

Reuters-linked reporting in the Jerusalem Post said the United States plans to tell NATO allies it will shrink the pool of military capabilities the U.S. makes available to the alliance in a crisis, and it cited NATO’s top commander, US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, seeking to reassure allies that further drawdowns would stretch over years.

In the same reporting stream, Rubio said the president’s “disappointment” with some NATO allies’ responses to actions in the Middle East “will have to be dealt with,” while he said it would not be solved or addressed during the meeting in Sweden.