Rubio NATO is visiting a European warning on Trump’s agenda

Foreign Minister Marco Rubio traveled to Brussels on Thursday to conduct a gathering of NATO ministers abroad amid great concern about the Trump administration’s approach to Europe, including the war in Ukraine, relations with Russia and the growing president of the trade war with the continent.

Mr. Rubio’s visit to the coalition headquarters, the first by a senior Trump administration official this year, comes as relations between the United States and Europe suddenly turned from the close cooperation of the Biden era to lack of confidence and blood during the era of Mr. Trump.

Meanwhile, NATO officials may welcome a chance to consult with Mr. Rubio, who is considered by many members of the National Security team of Mr. Trump.

As a member of the Senate in 2023, which represents Florida, Mr. Rubio legislates any president of advice and approval of the Senate before withdrawing from the organization. Former assistants say that Mr. Trump has been particularly late to take this step, which would destroy the military coalition 32 countries that form to confront Russia.

Foreign officials who dealt with Mr. Rubio have described it since he became the best diplomat for Mr. Trump as a reduction in some of Mr. Trump’s wild ideas and translated into more realistic political approaches, although they also wonder if he really talks about a president who has no close personal relationship.

There is only many Mr. Rubio, who can do Mr. Rubio for the schedule of the business of Mr. Trump, which is led by the opinion of Europe economically to the United States, culturally coinciding with the values ​​of Mr. Trump’s political movement and must deal with the Russian President, Vladimir F. Putin.

Mr. Rubio also arrives Just one day after Mr. Trump announced 20 percent Definitions On imports from the European Union. In the White House on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said of the European Union: “We have been torn. It is sad to see. It is compassionate.”

In meetings with NATO ministers, Mr. Rubio is expected to pressure Mr. Trump’s invitation to a rapid end of the war in Ukraine, an approach that prevents many European leaders who support Kiev with an overwhelming majority and it is feared that Mr. Trump will end with Mr. Putin.

Collections of Mr. Rubio will make their best to form the Trump administration’s efforts to mediate in a deal between Kiev and Moscow, which stopped wide gaps between the warring parties, and urged the United States not to abandon Ukraine.

Mr. Rubio will also repeat the demands of Mr. Trump that the NATO countries increase their military spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product, so that many of them are struggling to achieve the goals of spending 2 percent set by the coalition years ago. Mr. Trump and other senior US officials believe that the coalition relies heavily on the United States for protection.

This was painted painfully for European officials through a discussion among the senior Trump administration officials last month Signal application This unintentionally included a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg of Atlantic magazine. During the text series, on the United States’ plan to bomb Houthi militants in Yemen, Vice President JD Vance complained that America would “once again” save Europe by taking unilateral action to protect the international freight corridors attacked by the Houthis.

Defense Minister Beit Higseth replied: “I share your completely in the European Capture.” “It is compassionate.”

Mr. Trump himself warned that he may not come to defend the NATO countries that he feels that he does not spend enough on armies, despite the coalition’s commitment to defending mutual soul. “If they do not pay, I will not defend them,” the president told reporters last month.

An additional point of tension is the design of Mr. Trump to get Greenland Island, an independent area in Denmark, a member of NATO. Mr. Trump shocked Denmark and other NATO officials by refusing to exclude Greenland by force, although Mr. Vance said in a recent visit to the island that military action was not in consideration.

Denmark Foreign Minister will attend the gathering in Brussels, although it is unclear whether he and Mr. Rubio will discuss Greenland. Danish officials say they cannot negotiate the fate of Greenland alone because the island has the right to self -determination.

Mr. Rubio will join Brussels by the new American ambassador in NATO, Matthew J. WitkerWho confirmed the Senate with difficulty on Tuesday.

NATO officials are not sure what Mr. Whitaker, who was briefly occupied by the Acting Public Prosecutor during the first period of Mr. Trump, but has no experience in foreign policy. During his confirmation session, Mr. Whitaker assured the members of the Senate that the United States’ commitment to NATO was “IronClad”.