President Donald Trump has not yet decided how to react to the refusal of some U.S. allies to allow the American military to use their bases, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. “If one of the main reasons why the United States is part of NATO is the ability to deploy forces in Europe that we could project to other emergency situations, and that is no longer the case, at least for some NATO members, it raises a problem and it must be examined,” he told journalists during a visit to Rome.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a political-military defense alliance that includes the United States and many European countries (32 states in total).
Rubio added that “ultimately, it is up to the president to make this decision,” specifying: “He has not yet made these decisions.”
Donald Trump has strongly criticized several European allies, including Spain, Germany, and Italy, for not coming to the aid of the United States to protect the Strait of Hormuz, de facto blocked by Iran.
He specifically targeted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of his closest European allies, for refusing to involve her country in the war against Iran, stating he was “shocked” and disappointed in her “lack of courage.”
Rubio met with her on Friday in Rome, but the two officials did not go into detail on this subject, he said.
Regarding Germany, the announcement of the withdrawal of 5,000 American soldiers from the country was “already planned” and marked a return to 2022 levels, according to Rubio.
Donald Trump has threatened to significantly reduce the U.S. military presence in Germany and other European allies, stating he wants Europe to take on greater defense responsibilities rather than depending on Washington.
Earlier this week, during a visit to Armenia, Ms. Meloni stated regarding the troop withdrawal project, “It is a decision that does not depend on me and with which I disagree.”
“We have obligations on a global scale. We have troop deployments all over the world. And these are constantly evolving and changing,” Rubio pleaded on this subject.
“Even if we may be the most powerful country in the world and we may have the most significant resources, our resources are not unlimited,” he argued.
“We must always allocate our resources worldwide, including our military resources, based on what serves the national interest,” he said. “This is a decision that the president must make, especially in light of recent developments concerning certain NATO countries and the position they have taken towards the United States.”
Italy recently refused permission for certain American combat mission aircraft to land at its Sigonella base in Sicily, sources from the Defense Ministry and Italian media said on Tuesday.
Under agreements with the United States, some Italian bases can be used by American military aircraft, but only for logistical purposes.
AFP
