Secretary of State Marco Rubio is trying to reassure nervous allies that the United States still supports NATO — even as frustration inside the Trump administration appears to be boiling over after several European countries reportedly refused to fully cooperate during recent military operations involving Iran.
Speaking Friday in Italy after meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Rubio emphasized that he personally remains committed to the NATO alliance despite increasingly sharp rhetoric coming from President Trump.
“I’ve been a strong supporter of NATO throughout my career in the Senate and even now,” Rubio told reporters.
But the secretary quickly pivoted toward criticism, arguing that some NATO members failed a key test when the United States needed support during recent operations connected to the escalating Iran conflict.
“The point of NATO is that if there’s contingencies, allies help each other in case of contingencies,” Rubio said.
Then he pointed directly at Europe.
“We had a contingency. And some countries in Europe — some countries in Europe like Spain, as an example — denied us the use of those bases for a very important contingency.”
Rubio added that the refusal “actually impeded the mission” in certain ways, though he did not provide operational details.
The comments come amid mounting tension between President Trump and several NATO members after the administration launched strikes tied to the growing confrontation with Iran. Trump has repeatedly accused parts of the alliance of failing to pull their weight militarily and financially, at one point dismissing NATO as a “paper tiger.”
The president has also floated the possibility of reducing or withdrawing U.S. troops stationed in countries such as Spain and Italy — comments that have rattled European leaders already struggling with political backlash at home over the Middle East conflict.
Rubio declined to preview any troop decisions, stressing that such moves ultimately rest with Trump.
“The president of the United States is always going to act on what’s in the best interest of the United States,” Rubio said when asked whether Trump might escalate pressure on NATO allies.
Still, despite the tension, Rubio appeared eager to smooth relations during his Italy visit.
The secretary arrived bearing symbolic gifts, including a crystal football engraved with the State Department seal for Pope Leo XIV, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni presented Rubio with documents tracing his family ancestry to Italy’s Piemonte region.
Rubio, whose parents immigrated from Cuba, appeared genuinely enthusiastic about the discovery.
“I need to learn a third language,” he joked, saying Italian should come naturally given his fluency in Spanish.
But beneath the diplomatic gestures, the political strain was unmistakable.
