Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, addressed the press at the outset of a two-day NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting held in the Belgian capital, Brussels. Emphasizing his country’s commitment to NATO, Rubio stated his expectation for European allies to increase their defense spending to 5% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“US IS MORE ACTIVE THAN EVER IN NATO” Expressing pleasure at attending the NATO meeting for the first time, the US Secretary of State stated, “The US is more active in NATO than ever before. Some of the hysterics and exaggerations I see in international and local media regarding NATO are unwarranted. President (Donald) Trump has clearly expressed his support for NATO. We will stay in NATO,” he said. Rubio noted that the US wants a stronger NATO and emphasized, “We want NATO to be more vibrant. The only way for NATO to be stronger and more vibrant is for our partners, nation-states forming this vital alliance, to have more capabilities.” He pointed out that NATO consists of advanced economies and wealthy countries, saying, “I assure you that we have domestic needs as well, but due to the role we play globally, we prioritize defense. We want our partners to do the same.”

“CONFLICT IN EUROPE REMINDS US OF THE NECESSITY OF HARD POWER” Rubio continued his remarks, “After establishing extensive social security networks for decades, I understand that there may be domestic policies reluctant to forgo these and prioritize national security more. There is a full-scale land warfare in the heart of Europe that reminds us that the hard power as a deterrent is still necessary. Thus, I want to leave here understanding that we are on a realistic path for each member to commit and fulfill their spending up to 5% of the GDP.”

“TRUMP IS NOT AGAINST NATO” Mentioning that the 5% target includes the US as well, Rubio stated, “(Trump) is not against NATO. He is against NATO not having the capabilities it needs to fulfill the obligations imposed on each member state by the agreement.” Rubio, making an assessment that “no one expects us to achieve this in one or two years, but the path must be realistic,” continued, saying, “Therefore, I hope to touch upon this matter in the discussions we will have here today. We are happy to have our Asia-Pacific partners, who have become great allies to the Alliance. In the Asia-Pacific, we see increasing threats to both freedom of navigation and territorial integrity. Therefore, we are eagerly looking forward to engaging with them.”