Overview
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that President Trump will attend the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara in July and that the United States remains a NATO member.
- Rubio said the president plans to press allied governments that denied U.S. military planes use of their airspace, blocked access to bases, or declined to send naval forces for efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- Trump has repeatedly called NATO a "paper tiger" and has threatened to withdraw from the 32-member alliance as he criticizes partners for not supporting U.S.-linked operations against Iran.
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Bloomberg that Ankara expects Trump to attend, and allied capitals said the confirmation reduces near-term uncertainty about U.S. participation.
- The July summit is now the key test of alliance cohesion and could influence global energy markets if disputes over base access and naval support for the Strait of Hormuz are not resolved.