Rubio in hot seat while facing European leaders at the NATO headquarters

The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is visiting the headquarters of NATO in Brussels for a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Alliance, which puts it in the front line of the impulse of the Trump administration against the traditional American allies in Europe.

European leaders were already preparing for a controversial meeting. The decision of President Donald Trump to withdraw Ukraine’s help in the midst of his efforts to fight Russia’s invasion marked a dramatic rest with other allies, while his decision to involve Moscow in direct and individual negotiations has left the diplomats of the continent in the heels.

But on Wednesday, shortly before Rubio turned to Belgium, Trump announced the new “reciprocal” rates, including a 20% tax on imports from the European Union.

Until now, Rubio has refused to address the problem of the front rate, but his Canadian counterpart said that the global economic shock made it difficult to concentrate on the pressing agenda of the meeting.

“Clearly, we are transmitting that message to our American counterparts that it is difficult to have these [NATO] Conversations in the context of a commercial war, “said Mélanie Joly in an interview with CNN.

Rubio has also tried to border on another issue of dispute: Trump’s declared desire to “get” Greenland for the United States by any necessary means.

Rubio met with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, regardless of the NATO ministerial, but did not answer the questions of journalists who ask what he would say about Greenland during the session. The State Department did not mention the Danish autonomous territory in its reading of the commitment.

“The Rubio Secretary reaffirmed the strong relationship between the United States and the kingdom of Denmark,” said state department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. “They discussed shared priorities, including the increase in NATO defense spending and load exchange and address threats to the alliance, including those raised by Russia and China.”

Later, Rasmussen said that his meeting with Rubio was “good”, but that although Groenland was not on the agenda “for many reasons,” he had still taken the opportunity “to very strongly object to the statements and presidential statements of a vision of acquiring Greenland.”

He has risen to a situation in which he is not within the limits of international law, “he said, describing him as” an attack on Danish sovereignty. “

“We have seen these statements from the president, and we cannot accept that,” added Rasmussen. “And I did it very, very clear.”

The meeting of Rubio and Rasmussen comes a few days after Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland with his wife, Usha Vance, and national security advisor Mike Waltz.

Originally, the second lady was scheduled to head the trip and spend several days on the world’s largest island, taking Greenlandic cultural sites, but the visit caused a violent reaction of the interim government of Greenland and the Danish leaders who noticed that an invitation never extended.

Then, the White House added the vice president to the itinerant delegation and reduced the itinerary, shortening the trip to a one -day stop at a remote American military base in the northwest of Greenland.

Rubio has adopted a more measured approach in his comments on Greenland than the president, but still emphasized what he said are the national security concerns that surround the control of the island.

“This is not a joke,” Rubio said in January. “It is not about acquiring land in order to acquire land. This is of our national interest and must be resolved.”

At the NATO headquarters on Thursday, Rubio tried to reassure the allies who, despite the president’s mixed signals, the Trump administration still considers that the alliance is central to the security of the United States.

“President Trump made it clear that he supports NATO. We will remain in NATO,” he said.

Even so, Rubio sent the message of the administration that the allies must increase their defense expenditure, asking all alliance members who promise to put up to 5% of their annual GDP towards it, an acute increase of the previous 2% reference.

“We want to go here with the understanding that we are on a road, a realistic route,” he said. “That includes the United States that they will have to increase their percentage.”