Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
23-05-2026
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Sweden for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers this week where he will discuss the need for “greater burden sharing” by the alliance, and then visit India, the State Department said on Tuesday.
Under President Donald Trump, US ties with both NATO and India have been strained, with the president repeatedly threatening to pull out of the alliance and imposing high tariffs on India.
Rubio will stop in Helsingborg on May 22 and “discuss the need for increased defense investment and greater burden sharing in the Alliance,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
He will also meet counterparts from the Arctic Seven nations Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland to discuss “shared economic and security interests,” Pigott said.
Rubio will visit India from May 23 to 26, stopping in Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi for talks on energy security, trade, and defense cooperation, he said.
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized NATO members for not contributing more to joint military efforts. Friction has deepened after European countries declined to send ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and over Trump’s earlier proposal to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
European leaders’ have agreed Europe should take on more responsibility for its own security. NATO countries last year set new spending targets of 3.5% of GDP on core defense and 1.5% on broader measures such as cybersecurity, infrastructure and logistics.
T rump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoyed warm ties during Trump’s first term but relations cooled after India was hit last year with some of the highest US tariffs, many of which were rolled back. The two countries are now working on a trade deal aimed at avoiding further tariff hikes.
India is also a member of the Quad grouping with the United States, Japan and Australia. Japan’s Jiji Press reported Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will visit New Delhi on May 26 for a Quad meeting expected to focus on strengthening supply chains for critical minerals in response to China.
The State Department statement made no mention of a Quad meeting.
In an April call, Trump and Modi stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a conduit for 40% of India’s crude oil imports, open and secure. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Helsingborg, Sweden, May 22 to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting where he will discuss the need for increased defense investment and greater burden sharing in the Alliance. He will meet his counterparts from the Arctic Seven nations to discuss our shared economic and security interests in the Arctic and our strengthened posture in the High North. He will also have bilateral meetings with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
From Sweden, Secretary Rubio will travel to India from May 23-26, where he will visit Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi. The Secretary will discuss energy security, trade, and defense cooperation during meetings with senior Indian officials.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet NATO counterparts following US threats to pull troops and also pay his first visit to India following a chilly patch between the countries, it was announced Tuesday (May 19, 2026).
The State Department confirmed that Mr. Rubio would participate on Friday (May 22, 2026) 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.
