Helsingborg: A key meeting of foreign ministers of NATO nations is being held in Sweden's Helsingborg. The two-day meeting began on May 21. US Secretary
of State Marco Rubio is attending the meeting before leaving for India. Notably, the meeting is taking place amid the ongoing Hormuz crisis and the Russia-Ukraine war. As per the official press release, the meeting is taking place to finalise preparations for the Ankara Summit. Ahead of the meeting, Rubio stated US President Donald Trump was "very disappointed" in alliance members as they did not allow the US to use their military bases for launching attacks on Iran, reported Reuters. "You have countries like Spain denying us the use of these bases - well then why are you in NATO? That's a very fair question," Rubio told reporters in Miami, as quoted by the news agency.
VIDEO | Miami, US: "US very disappointed in NATO," says US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he questions the significance of NATO for US, citing Spain's denial of military bases during Iran war.
(Source: AFP/PTI)
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(Full video available on PTI Videos -… pic.twitter.com/OIBYMaWt6j— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 22, 2026
"In fairness, other countries in NATO have been very helpful. But we need to discuss that," he added. Notably, time and again, Trump had criticised NATO members for not helping the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran and even not extending support in opening the key Strait of Hormuz. He had even expressed his opinion to exit NATO.
NATO Secretary General's Statement:
On Wednesday, Speaking ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte highlighted the need to deliver on the commitments made at the summit in The Hague last year, where allies committed to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035.
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“The question is no longer whether we need to do more. The question is how quickly Allies can turn commitments into capabilities,” he said, calling for steady, sustained increases in investment and “a credible path” to delivery. Allies need to ramp up defence industrial production on both sides of the Atlantic, and strengthen warfighting capabilities, he added.
Another priority for the Ankara Summit is NATO’s continued support for Ukraine. On Thursday, the Foreign Ministers was joined in Helsingborg by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to discuss how to ensure support for Ukraine remains substantial, sustainable and predictable for the long term.
