It's unclear why Rubio doesn't have plans to meet, but those could change, the agency noted. The US is to be represented at the meeting by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, one of the sources said.
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Why won't Marco Rubio attend the meeting?
Who will replace Rubio at the meeting in Brussels?
What are the opinions regarding Rubia's absence?
How often do NATO foreign ministers meet?
Reuters described the top US diplomat's absence from a key transatlantic meeting as “very unusual”. He also noted that the ministers' meeting will take place as U.S. and Ukrainian representatives try to reduce differences of opinion on President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Ukraine. The agency stressed that some European diplomats complained that they were excluded from the process.
Typically, two formal meetings of NATO foreign ministers are held per year.
“It would be completely impractical.”
A State Department spokesman declined to comment on Rubio's potential absence, but noted that the Alliance had undergone a “complete renewal” during Donald Trump's presidency. He noted that Rubio recently met with several European officials in Switzerland. “Secretary Rubio also meets and talks with NATO allies regularly, including last week in Geneva,” he said.
A senior State Department official said Rubio “has already participated in numerous meetings with NATO allies and it would be completely impractical to expect him to attend every meeting.” The NATO representative emphasized that the absence of some foreign ministers at the meeting was not unusual.
