Rubio Criticizes NATO, Signals Possible Review of Relations With Europe

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an interview with Al Jazeera, strongly criticized the performance of some NATO member countries and said that after the end of the war with Iran, Washington will seriously review the alliance.
He said that countries such as Spain, despite being NATO members, did not allow the United States to use their airspace and military bases. According to Rubio, these countries not only refused to cooperate but also expressed satisfaction with their decision.
Referring to U.S. defense commitments to European allies, Rubio said, “For the United States to be committed to defending Europe, but not have access to bases when needed, does not seem like a balanced arrangement.”
He also warned that if U.S. forces withdraw from Europe, NATO’s structure would face serious challenges and could even lose its effectiveness in practice. According to him, this is one of the issues that will be seriously reviewed after the end of the Iran war.
Meanwhile, some analysts believe that these remarks reflect deep dissatisfaction within the U.S. administration over the level of cooperation from some NATO members during the Iran war, an issue that could affect future relations between Washington and its European allies.