US Secretary of Secretary Marco Rubio departs Joint Base Andrews in Camp Springs, Maryland en route to Brussels for NATO Ministerial, April 2, 2025. (Official State Department photo)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to Antalya on Wednesday to meet with his NATO counterparts in an informal setting, with the focus on Ukraine and other key security priorities, as well as to reiterate need for transatlantic burden sharing, Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent, who will be covering the trip, reports.
“Looking towards the NATO Summit in The Hague this June, the Secretary [Rubio] will advance President [Donald] Trump’s agenda of ensuring that our Allies contribute their fair share to making NATO stronger and more effective,” the State Department said Sunday.
The informal meeting is scheduled from 14 to 16 May. This will be Rubio’s first overseas travel since Trump tapped him as acting national security adviser while continuing his service as the nation’s top diplomat.
Prior to Turkey meetings, Rubio will accompany President Trump to Saudi Arabia and Qatar starting today. “Secretary Rubio’s engagements with senior officials will advance solutions to global and regional challenges, expand bilateral trade and investment, and reaffirm our strategic partnerships,” department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
On Sunday, Rubio spoke with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in separate calls to reaffirm the US stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine. “Our top priority remains bringing an end to the fighting and an immediate ceasefire,” Bruce said in a readout of Rubio-Lammy call.
Source: www.kyivpost.com
