NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte briefs the press on May 20, 2026, ahead of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs. (Gwenny Eeckels/NATO)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to press European allies on defense spending and a potential role in securing the Strait of Hormuz when he and other top diplomats arrive in Sweden on Thursday for two days of high-level talks.
The NATO foreign ministers meeting comes at a time of upheaval inside the alliance, as several senior U.S. officials, including Rubio, increasingly question the value of a partnership that has for decades served as the cornerstone of trans-Atlantic security.
Ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday emphasized the importance of “making real progress” in areas including strengthening supply chains and stockpiles and “ensuring that our militaries have what they need to deter and defend.”
The alliance has come under heavy criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly accused European allies of relying too heavily on Washington for their security. Tensions have intensified during the Iran conflict, especially as the Trump administration has pushed allies to play a larger role.
Rubio has delivered some of the harshest critiques, saying that the value of NATO to the United States will need to be reassessed given disputes with some allies over Iran-related operations.
As a senator, Rubio was generally seen as a staunch NATO supporter, even sponsoring legislation designed to make it harder for a president to unilaterally quit the alliance. However, recent disputes with Spain over basing access and overflight permissions for Iran-related missions have further strained relations.
The recent U.S. decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Poland and Germany is also likely to be a focal point when ministers meet in Sweden. The sudden halt to the deployment of a U.S. armored brigade bound for Poland has unsettled officials in Warsaw and raised regional concerns about the future of the U.S. military presence.
But Rutte insisted that allies have been anticipating eventual U.S. troop reductions, and that NATO’s European members are focused on taking on a larger military role.
“In the end we cannot be overreliant … on one ally. It’s simply not healthy, and this is exactly what we agreed with the United States,” Rutte said.
While the United States will continue providing NATO’s nuclear deterrent, Europe must take on more of the conventional defense burden in a step-by-step manner, Rutte said.
Rutte also downplayed the Pentagon’s decision to pause the rotation of an armored brigade to Poland, saying it will not impact NATO defense plans.
The comments come as U.S. officials are reportedly preparing to announce a reduction in the number of troops and capabilities Washington would make available to Europe during a major crisis. That announcement was expected during a Friday NATO policy meeting in Brussels, according to Reuters.
Rutte on Thursday said potential adjustments to NATO’s force model, used to determine what capabilities are available to allied commanders in a crisis, stem from a NATO review that has been ongoing for the past year.
In Sweden, Rubio also is expected to discuss the need for increased defense investments from European allies and more burden sharing.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Thursday that his country was on track to reach NATO’s new benchmark of dedicating 5% of gross domestic product to defense by 2030, five years ahead of schedule.
Other allies should follow the same accelerated timeline, Rutte said.
But more urgent matters could dominate the discussion in Sweden.
Trump has frequently complained that Europe has not helped secure commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which usually accounts for a fifth of the global oil supply. Traffic through the strait has been severely disrupted since late February, when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, prompting retaliatory Iranian strikes on commercial vessels in the waterway.
European allies have spent weeks discussing a possible maritime security mission, and several countries have already dispatched naval assets to the region in preparation for a potential operation once the war ends. It remains unclear whether any future mission would operate under a NATO flag.
“Of course, this alliance always has debates and discussions going on — how we can, yes or no, have a potential contribution as NATO,” Rutte said at a separate news conference Wednesday.
Rutte said the talks in Sweden are intended to help lay the groundwork for a NATO leaders summit in Ankara in July, where allies are expected to confront broader questions about defense spending, Europe’s military role and the future direction of the alliance.
