Marco Rubio: Trump ‘disappointment’ with Nato will be discussed at summit | Nato

Donald Trump is disappointed that NATO allies are refusing to take a more active role in attacking Iran, the US secretary of state said, as he prepared a meeting in July that could turn into a worrying summit for the alliance.

Marco Rubio, who met with the foreign ministers of the military alliance, emphasized that he expected the dispute to be discussed at the meeting to be held in Ankara in July and that he expected the summit to be “one of the most important summits” in NATO’s 77-year history.

“The president’s views – frankly, disappointment – about some of our NATO allies and their reactions to our operations in the Middle East have been well documented,” Rubio said as he came to the start of the meeting in Helsingborg.

“This will have to be addressed. This will not be resolved or addressed today. This is an issue to be discussed at the leaders’ level,” he said, amid new US requests for assistance to open the Strait of Hormuz if peace talks with Iran do not progress.

After the meeting, Rubio said he discussed the possibility of military aid with his counterparts in NATO countries. “How do we reopen the straits if someone is shooting?” We must have a plan B. Rubio said. “I don’t know whether this will necessarily be a NATO mission, but certainly NATO countries can contribute to it.”

Britain and France have offered to lead a multinational air and naval force to ensure the safety of merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once the United States and Iran reach a peace deal or a permanent ceasefire.

Rubio emphasized that the number of US troops in Europe is also expected to drop from 80,000 following a review that reflects broader commitments, but the exact cut remains unclear due to conflicting statements from the White House.

Rubio, in his statement after the meeting of foreign ministers, emphasized that the USA spoke with European NATO members on this issue and said, “I think it is well understood within the alliance that the US military presence in Europe will be adjusted.”

“I’m not saying they’re going to be excited about it, but they’re certainly aware of it and, you know, we have obligations in the Indo-Pacific, we have obligations in the Middle East, we have obligations in the Western Hemisphere,” he added.

At the beginning of the month, the United States announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, while Trump reacted angrily to comments from chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Iran had humiliated the United States in peace talks.

Last week, the Pentagon added that it would stop the return of another 4,000 people to Poland; but after Trump reversed that on social media Thursday night, he made a hasty announcement that surprised the Pentagon.

Trump posted: “Based on the successful election of the current President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, whom I am proud to endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will send an additional 5,000 Soldiers to Poland.”

Other NATO allies acknowledged the White House’s erratic policy changes have left them struggling to keep up. Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard acknowledged that the situation was “really confusing and not always easy to understand.”

The US secretary of state said after the meeting that although he had been a “long-time advocate of NATO”, one of the arguments he made was that “US bases in the region” provide the country’s military with “logistical options that we would not otherwise have”.

Rubio said this issue would be discussed in Ankara: “When some of these bases are not given to you during a conflict that we are in, then you question whether that value is still there.”

No other NATO members participated in the 38-day offensive against Iran or demonstrated readiness to forcibly open the Strait of Hormuz, which had so far been closed by the Iranian blockade, although some countries did provide some assistance.

Spain has not allowed the use of US bases or airspace in the country to attack Iran, while France has only allowed the use of air tankers and other support aircraft from Istres air base in the south.

The UK allowed the US air force to bomb Iranian missile launchers and other military assets blocking the strait from Fairford in Gloucestershire; this was the furthest any European country was willing to go to allow US bombing.

Earlier this year, Trump also requested Greenland from Denmark, another NATO member, but withdrew the offer after international lobbying and an agreement to create an air patrol mission in the Arctic to deter any Russian military activity.