“NATO boils down to the presence of our troops in Europe to defend Europe,” stated the US secretary of state, after accusing several countries of refusing the overflight of their territory by American aircraft.
It is an unprecedented challenge: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on Tuesday, March 31 that the United States should “reexamine” their relations with NATO once the war against Iran is over. This statement follows numerous attacks by Donald Trump.
“I think it is unfortunately clear that once this conflict is over, we will need to reexamine this relationship. We must reexamine the order that NATO presents for our country within the framework of this alliance,” Rubio said on Fox News, adding that it would be up to President Donald Trump to decide on this matter.
The United States reproach NATO countries including France, Spain, and Italy for not authorizing the overflight of their territories or using American bases to transport military equipment to Israel in the context of the war against Iran, which began on February 28.
Donald Trump had stated last Friday that the United States may not come to NATO’s aid when needed, reiterating his criticisms against the Atlantic Alliance at a business forum in Miami.
“Paper tiger” and “Cowards”
In recent weeks, the American president has made bellicose statements towards NATO, calling it a “paper tiger” and “cowards” on his Truth Social network. The United States “will remember this,” he said during a cabinet meeting.
“If we have reached the point where the NATO alliance prevents us from using those bases, where we actually can’t use them to defend the interests of the United States, then NATO is a one-way street,” stated Marco Rubio. “NATO then simply boils down to the presence of our troops in Europe to defend Europe… When we need them to allow us to use their military bases, the response is ‘no’? Then why are we in NATO? This question needs to be asked,” added the US Secretary of State.
He also emphasized that it is up to US allies to secure the Strait of Hormuz, de facto blocked by Iran, on which they depend for their oil. Referring to the war in Iran, he indicated that “we are close to the finish line” without providing a timetable.
The relations between the United States, as a founding member and key player, and NATO have been experiencing strong turbulence since the return of the American president to power, with the former accusing Europeans of taking their security for granted and the latter worried about a potential American disengagement.
