The president will participate in the next summit that will be hosted in July in , the foreign minister announced.
“I think the next NATO meeting in Turkey in July is probably the most important in the history of NATO because there are some things that need to be cleared up and fixed,” Rubio said in testimony to a House committee. “The president will attend in person,” he added.
There were doubts about Trump’s involvement
Traditionally, US presidents almost always attend NATO summits, but this year questions have been raised about Donald Trump’s attendance, as he has repeatedly expressed his anger at NATO, accusing its allies of being unwilling to contribute to the war with Iran.
Speaking to a congressional committee on Wednesday, Rubio addressed tensions between Trump and alliance members, saying his main concern is with countries that do not allow the US to use military bases in their countries in times of crisis.
US president disappointed with Alliance
Despite his frustration with the alliance, Trump will eventually attend the meeting, Rubio said.
“The United States is still a member of NATO and we will be in Turkey to discuss all these issues. The president himself will attend the next meeting of heads of state, where all these issues will be clarified,” Rubio said.
Several NATO countries have resisted supporting the US military campaign against Iran, denying the use of their airspace by US military aircraft or refraining from sending naval forces to help open the Strait of Hormuz to energy tankers.
Trump has repeatedly called NATO a “paper tiger” and has threatened in recent weeks to withdraw from the alliance, arguing that the European allies rely on American security guarantees while providing insufficient support for the US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran.
