Marco Rubio may miss the NATO foreign ministers meeting, and instead, Christopher Landau will represent the United States.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to miss the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels next week, which is quite unusual for a key event amid negotiations to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war. The Reuters agency reported this citing two American officials familiar with the matter.
Instead, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau will represent Washington at the meeting. Rubio’s name has already appeared in the context of active negotiations with European allies regarding a “peace plan,” but his potential absence has drawn remarks from some diplomats who feel they are being excluded from the process.
Two official NATO foreign ministers meetings are held annually, and the absence of US secretaries is rare. A similar case occurred in 2017 when Rex Tillerson initially planned to miss the meeting, but it was rescheduled considering his timetable.
A State Department spokesperson linked Rubio’s possible absence to the Alliance being “fully renewed” during the Trump administration. He added that the head of American diplomacy recently met with several European officials in Switzerland.
Christopher Landau, who will be present on behalf of the US, had previously expressed doubts about the necessity of NATO in a post on X, which he later deleted. This raises some concerns about Washington’s commitment to transatlantic ties and the US role in the Alliance.
| Date | Event | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| December 3 | NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting | US Representative: Christopher Landau |
