Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Tammy Bruce:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today on the sidelines of the NATO Informal Foreign Ministers Meeting in Antalya, Türkiye, with the Transatlantic Quint Foreign Ministers:  French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.  Secretary Rubio briefed the ministers on President Trump’s efforts to halt the senseless bloodshed in Ukraine and emphasized that European leadership is critical for getting Russia and Ukraine to negotiate in good faith for a swift and durable peace settlement.  The Secretary and Foreign Ministers agreed on the urgent need to increase NATO burden-sharing and European defense spending.  Secretary Rubio stressed that U.S. defense companies are integral to the transatlantic industrial base and should not be sidelined in Europe’s rearmament efforts.  Secretary Rubio reaffirmed the United States’ desire to give Syria a chance at greatness.  The leaders also discussed shared priorities including preventing Iran from developing or obtaining a nuclear weapon and countering China’s influence.