Sawt Falasteen - Rubio to attend NATO talks, pay first visit to India

The State Department confirmed that Rubio would participate on Friday in talks among NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, which will prepare for a NATO summit in Turkey in July expected to be attended by President Donald Trump.

The top US diplomat "will discuss the need for increased defense investment and greater burden sharing in the Alliance," a State Department statement said.

Trump recently decided to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany despite the heightened European concerns over Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Trump has long said that the United States has been shouldering an unfair burden in the Cold War-era alliance but his decision came immediately after fury at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who made remarks critical of Trump's war with Israel against Iran.

Rubio will meet with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, the State Department said.

Rubio will then head to India, his first visit to the world's largest democracy since Trump returned to office nearly a year-and-a-half ago.

US presidents across partisan lines have courted India for decades, but Trump last year became upset with India and temporarily imposed punishing tariffs.

The rift came after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to credit Trump with ending a short war a year ago between India and Pakistan triggered by a massacre of mostly Hindu civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Pakistan has assertively curried Trump's favor, saying he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize and more recently volunteering as a mediator in ending the Iran war.

Vice President JD Vance recently visited Pakistan for the Iran talks, and Trump last week was upbeat on a trip to China, previously seen as a cause of concern that united India and the United States.

Unusually for Rubio, who usually keeps a rapid pace, the State Department said he would visit four cities in India.

In addition to New Delhi, he will visit Agra, site of the world-famous Taj Mahal, as well as the palace-filled city of Jaipur and the eastern metropolis of Kolkata.

V.AbuAwwad--SF-PST