“If Europe does not allow us to use the bases that we operate and finance to defend them when we need them, we should close them and withdraw our troops from Europe,” Rubio said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday.
“If NATO only means defending Europe if it is attacked, but then denying us the right to use bases when we need them, it’s not a very good arrangement,” Rubio complained.
“It’s hard to engage in it and claim that it’s good for the United States. So all of this will have to be reviewed,” the head of American diplomacy said.
“We have countries like Spain, a NATO member that we’re committed to defending, denying us the use of their airspace and bragging about it. They deny us the use of their bases. And there are other countries that have done the same,” Rubio added without elaborating. “So you ask yourself, ‘What’s in it for the United States?'”
The US and Israel began bombing Iran on February 28 without consulting their European allies, among other things, claiming that Tehran is trying to acquire a nuclear weapon. In retaliation, Iran attacks Israel and the countries in the Persian Gulf, where there are American bases, and the industrial infrastructure there. At the same time, the Israeli army launched an invasion of Lebanon, from where Israel was shelled by the pro-Iranian movement Hezbollah.
The planes had a problem in Spain, France and Italy
The Spanish government called the US-Israeli attacks on Iran illegal and banned the use of the Morón de la Frontera and Rota military bases in the south of Spain in this war. France then did not allow planes loaded with military material to fly over French territory when they were heading to Israel.
A few days ago, Italy did not allow American planes heading to the Middle East to land at the Sigonella Air Base in Sicily. According to Rome, it was not a general ban, the problem was that the American side did not follow the usual procedure and did not let the Italian army know in advance.
American President Donald Trump is a long-term critic of NATO, i.a. due to low European defense spending. According to recent information from The Daily Telegraph, the head of the White House is considering taking away the possibility of activating Article 5 from members of the alliance who do not give five percent of GDP to defense, or excluding them from the decision-making process in the alliance. With reference to sources, The Daily Telegraph informs about it.
The US spends roughly 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense. Article 5 of NATO, the collective defense clause, has been invoked only once so far – after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.
