Washington, March 27
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set for difficult talks with his Group of Seven counterparts in France on Friday, after President Donald Trump lashed out at NATO allies over their reluctance to back the US and Israel in the war with Iran. Rubio arrives at the meeting outside Paris amid growing unease among America’s closest allies over Washington’s handling of the conflict. Most G7 nations have expressed scepticism or concern about the US strategy in the Iran war, leaving the top US diplomat with the challenge of defending a position that has found little support among key partners.
The task became harder after Trump launched a sharp attack on NATO during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, accusing the alliance of failing to support the US.
“We are very disappointed with NATO because NATO has done absolutely nothing,” Trump said.
Among the G7 nations, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy are all NATO members, alongside the US. Japan is the only member of the group outside the military alliance.
Rubio departed Washington for the summit just hours after Trump’s remarks, which are likely to deepen strains with European allies already unsettled by repeated criticism from the US president and senior members of his administration.
Tensions have been building for months, with European governments still angered by Trump’s earlier demand to take over Greenland from NATO ally Denmark and increasingly worried about the future of US support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
The war in the Middle East has now added another major fault line in the transatlantic relationship, as Washington presses allies to support its position while many remain unconvinced.
At Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, Rubio sought to defend the administration’s stance, arguing that other countries should appreciate Trump’s willingness to confront Iran.
“Frankly, I think countries around the world, even those that are out there complaining about this a little bit, should actually be grateful that the United States has a president that’s willing to confront a threat like this,” he said.
Rubio is now expected to use the G7 meeting to reassure allies and try to contain the diplomatic fallout from Trump’s comments, even as divisions over the Iran conflict continue to widen.
