An American politician praised Sweden at a press conference after the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Helsingborg.
“Sweden is a fantastic country and I would have liked to stay longer, but the sun rises way too early. What’s wrong with you?” Rubio asked jokingly.
The military capabilities of Sweden and Finland were also praised by Rubio, who called Sweden an “exemplary ally.”
“Some countries have joined NATO from a weak position, but not the last two members. You contribute a lot to the alliance both militarily and in terms of production.”
“Increase production”
At the same time, Rubio reinforced the U.S. administration’s message about reducing troop presence in Europe going forward.
“We have said all along that we will reduce our presence because we need to focus on other regions. This will happen even though some allies are not happy about it.”
“I understand that the alliance is valuable for Europe, but it must also be beneficial for the United States,” Rubio said.
He came to the meeting carrying President Donald Trump’s repeated message that the United States is disappointed that European NATO allies have not wanted to support the U.S. in the war against Iran in the way Trump has demanded.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at his closing press conference that the Helsingborg meeting had been very good. The emphasis has been on how NATO can become stronger, including increasing weapons production, and on how Europe can take a step forward if the U.S. reduces its troop presence.
“We need to speed up and increase production, on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Zelenskyy invited
At the same time, Rutte said that all member states continue to stand behind the alliance, remain committed to cooperation and are firmly determined to uphold Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. Article 5 states that NATO countries shall come to the rescue if another NATO country is subjected to armed attack.
“The alliance is in better shape and stronger than a few years ago.”
The meeting in Helsingborg is an important part of the preparations for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7–8, when the heads of state and government will meet.
Mark Rutte has also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to this event.
