If Nato allies refuse permission to use US bases to project force, ‘that’s a problem and has to be examined,’ Rubio says
Rubio also gets asked about his meeting with Italy’s Meloni amid US president Trump’s threats to pull US troops from Europe.
He says it is a decision to be made by the president.
But he continues:
“I said publicly, and I’ve said repeatedly, I’ve been a strong supporter of Nato throughout my career in the Senate and even now, and one of the advantages of being in Nato is that it allows us to have forces deployed in Europe and bases that allow us a logistical ability to project power in case of contingencies.
We had a contingency and some countries in Europe, some countries in Europe like Spain as an example, denied us the use of those bases for a very important contingency that in some ways, the denial of those bases actually impeded the mission, not severely but had a cost and in fact, even created some unnecessary dangers.”
In a particularly strong line, he says:
“If one of the main reasons why the US is in Nato is the ability to have forces deployed in Europe that we could project to other contingencies, and now that’s no longer the case, at least when it comes to some Nato members, that’s a problem and has to be examined.”
He repeats that ultimately it’s the president’s decision to make, and there is no news so far.
He stresses that the partial withdrawal of US troops from Germany only accounts for “less than 14% of our total troop presence there” and it is part of a “pre-programmed” plan to “shift” some burden within Nato.
Key events
Hungarian Green leader offers support for incoming Magyar administration, despite some policy differences
Jennifer Rankin
in Brussels
The co-leader of Hungary’s green party has offered his support to incoming prime minister Péter Magyar in dismantling the authoritarian system created by Viktor Orbán, while indicating policy differences would remain.
The Hungarian Green party, like other left-leaning groups, chose not to run candidates in last month’s elections to maximise support for Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party with the aim of defeating Orbán.
The strategy helped Magyar to a historic landslide victory, although analysis from the European Council on Foreign Relations indicates that more voters were motivated by an abstract wish for change, rather than enthusiasm for Magyar’s vision.
Richárd Barabás, co-leader of Dialogue-the Green party, said there was great unity among Hungarians to say “no to this kind of authoritarianism, no to this kind of Russian alliance, no to this infringement of human rights” that Orbán’s 16-year rule embodied.
But when it comes to a positive agenda, he said his party would continue to take different positions:
“It is time to start the discussions about the future we want to have and it’s quite natural that we do not agree in every aspect of that.”
Specifically, he said there was a need to debate issues such as European federalism, the integration of Ukraine into the EU and the phase out of Russian oil and gas from Hungary’s energy mix.
Barabás, a Budapest councillor, wants to phase out Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible, favouring the EU’s end of 2027 target, while Magyar has proposed a 2035 deadline.
The politician, who is gay, also said he would continue to advocate for total emancipation for the LGBTQ community, including marital status, access to healthcare and informing people about sexual orientation.
Speaking to the Guardian the day before Magyar is sworn in as prime minister, the Green politician wanted to strike a positive note, congratulating Magyar for his “really great job” in winning the elections.
“The attacks that Fidesz tried to hurl on him is so severe and so disgusting, that just surviving it mentally is a great, great performance. So I’m grateful for that.
We hope for the best and we really wish him luck as prime minister to be able to fulfil all the expectations and requirements proposed by the [European] Commission for him, because Hungary really needs the EU funds to come back to help revitalise the economy.”
Hungary’s Magyar set to be formally inaugurated tomorrow as Orbán era ends
Meanwhile, Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar, fresh back from meeting Giorgia Meloni in Rome, is about to be inaugurated tomorrow.
Ashifa Kassam and Flora Garamvolgyi are in Budapest to cover the big moment, marking an end to the 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s rule.
According to the schedule posted by Magyar online, the inaugural session of the parliament is set to begin 10am tomorrow, and the new PM is then expected to make an appearance outside the palriament 4pm, before unofficial party begins 5pm.
As Ashifa and Flora note:
“[The inauguration] comes weeks after Magyar and his opposition Tisza party won a landslide victory in a result that rattled the global far right, reset Hungary’s long-strained relationship with the EU and set off all-night celebrations along the banks of the Danube River.
Magyar this week called on Hungarians to join him in turning the page on Orbán’s rule and his efforts to turn Hungary into a “petri dish for illiberalism” during his time in power. “We will step through the gateway of regime change with a huge party. Come along, and invite your family and friends!” Magyar wrote on social media.”
Expectations for Magyar are high across Hungary, as their conversations with voters reveal in the full piece:
New polling shows that more than three-quarters of Hungarians who voted for Péter Magyar in last month’s election want his government to do more to address the climate crisis, and more than 70% want him to protect LGBTQ+ rights, a poll has found.
The poll also offered a glimpse of other ways the government is likely to be pulled in several directions: although voters overwhelmingly said they were looking for change, they remained split on issues that are critical to the EU, such as support for Ukraine and the need for Hungary to curb its dependence on Russian energy.
Spanish authorities prepare for arrival of hantavirus-stricken cruise ship
Sam Jones
in Madrid
Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities are finalising preparations for the arrival of the MV Hondius this weekend, saying an “unprecedented operation” is under way to receive, assess and repatriate the 149 passengers and crew members onboard the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship.
The Dutch-flagged vessel, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde, is due to arrive off Tenerife in the Canary Islands at around midday on Sunday.
After negotiations between the Spanish government and the archipelago’s regional authorities, the MV Hondius will remain at anchor in the port of Granadilla and will not dock in Tenerife.
Passengers will be evaluated onboard and will not have any contact with the local population when they are taken from the ship to be repatriated or, in the case of the 14 Spanish nationals onboard, transported to a military hospital in Madrid for quarantine.
“This is an unprecedented operation in response to an international health alert involving 23 countries,” Spain’s health minister, Mónica García, told Spain’s state radio broadcaster, RNE, on Friday morning.
“We’re coordinating this from Spain and the World Health Organization has entrusted Spain with this operation – which, as I’ve said, is unprecedented. We’re going to do what we have to do, which is work and deliver the necessary health and logistical management.”
García confirmed that non-Spanish citizens who did not need urgent medical attention would be evacuated to their home countries even if they showed symptoms of hantavirus, which has killed three people on the ship.
Ukraine’s actions tomorrow for Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow will depend on how the situation will develop further today, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, accusing Russia of violating its own ceasefire.
“Tomorrow depends on what we hear today,” the Ukrainian president said in his daily address to the nation.
Russia has threatened a huge strike on Kyiv if Ukraine violates the ceasefire and attacks Moscow during the military parade commemorating the Soviet Union victory in the second world war.
At least one suspect is at large after taking hostages and then fleeing the scene at a savings bank branch in the western German town of Sinzig, police said on Friday.
Reuters reports that the hostages, including one cash transport driver, were released and unharmed. While the hostage situation was under way earlier on Friday, police said they were working on the assumption that there were multiple perpetrators. The incident was first reported in the town’s centre in the regional state of Rhineland-Palatinate at 07.00 GMT.
Police said they had launched extensive operations and had cordoned off a large area.
Russia monitoring ‘stable’ radiation levels after fires near Chornobyl
In other news, Russia said that it was carrying out enhanced radiation monitoring after fires in the exclusion zone around the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine but that there was no excess radiation.
“The radiation situation in the Russian Federation remains stable,” Russia’s national public health agency said.
US efforts to end Russian invasion of Ukraine ‘stagnated,’ but US ‘always stand ready’ to get involved, Rubio says
Rubio also gets asked about the current status of talks with Russia and Ukraine.
He says:
“We’ve played … tried to play a mediator role in that so far, it has not led to a fruitful outcome for a variety of reasons. We remain prepared to play that role if it can be productive. We don’t want to waste our time and invest time and energy on an effort that’s not moving forward. But if we see an opportunity to act as a mediator that brings both sides closer to a peace deal, we’d like to see it.”
He says the US sees the continuing war as “a tragedy” with “both sides paying avery heavy prices for it, both economic and obviously at a human level.”
“We’re prepared to play whatever role we can to bring it to a peaceful diplomatic resolution; unfortunately … those efforts have stagnated, but we always stand ready if those circumstances change.”
Don’t let Iran set precedent for control of international waters, and act with more than ‘strongly worded statements’, Rubio tells allies
Rubio also gets asked about the recent escalation with Iran.
He says the US “shot back” at Iran to respond to its attacks.
“What if you fire a drone or a missile at our destroyer, what are we supposed to do? Let it hit it? We have to respond to it. We have to knock down the missile. We have to knock out whatever it is that launched that missile. The alternative is to let it sink one of our ships. That’s crazy.”
He continues, annoyed:
“We’re not going to shoot down your drone? … That’s a stupid position to take. Of course, we fired back at them. They were shooting at us. That’s what I would expect to do. Only stupid countries don’t shoot back when you’re shot at, and we’re not a stupid country. …
If you fire on, if you are a missile launching guy, whatever they call that job, and you’re sitting there, and you fire a missile at the United States, and we saw you fire it, we’re going to hit you.”
Going back to European reactions to Iran and its apparent attempt to control the strait of Hormuz, he says the question is whether the world is planning to accept that claim.
“If the answer is no, we don’t think Iran should be able to control the Straits of Hormuz, then the next question is going to be for everyone. Well, what are you going to do about it? …
The fundamental question every country, not Italy, every country, needs to ask themselves is, are you going to normalise a country claiming to control an international waterway?
Because if you normalise that, you set a precedent that’s going to get repeated in a dozen other places and if the answer is no, we don’t want to normalise it then you better have something more than just strongly worded statements to back it up.”
Asked about Iran and disagreements with the Vatican and Rome on this, Rubio says “I think everybody agrees that Iran having a nuclear weapon is unacceptable, everyone,” so the question then becomes “what do you do about it.”
“The president is actually trying to do something about it,” he says.
He says the US hopes to get a response from Iran today, and “we will see what the response entails.”
“The hope is it’s something that it can put us into a serious process of negotiation,” he says.
Responding to reports that Iran is looking to establish an agency to control the strait of Hormuz, he says that would be “very problematic” and “unacceptable.”
“The world has to start asking itself, what it is willing to do if Iran tries to normalise a control of an international waterway?”
But he says we need to wait to see what comes back from Iran.
“We have not received that yet as the last in the last hour, but perhaps that will come. Their system is still highly fractured and a bit dysfunctional as well. So that may be serving as an impediment. I hope it’s a serious offer. I really do.”
He also gets asked about the situation with Lebanon, he says the US will not negotiate with Hezbollah, but is focused on the Lebanese government.
“Our role is with the Lebanese Government. Lebanon should be governed by the Lebanese government. It should not have a terrorist group operating within its national territory that poses a threat both to its own people, including the Shia population, and to the government and to Israel and to its other neighbours.”
He also gets pushed a bit on whether he told the Pope to tone down his criticism.
He elegantly pivots into saying that was not the aim of his meeting – he wanted to hear his perspective on this as “the most important … religious leader in the world” and it was a “very productive” meeting.
If Nato allies refuse permission to use US bases to project force, ‘that’s a problem and has to be examined,’ Rubio says
Rubio also gets asked about his meeting with Italy’s Meloni amid US president Trump’s threats to pull US troops from Europe.
He says it is a decision to be made by the president.
But he continues:
“I said publicly, and I’ve said repeatedly, I’ve been a strong supporter of Nato throughout my career in the Senate and even now, and one of the advantages of being in Nato is that it allows us to have forces deployed in Europe and bases that allow us a logistical ability to project power in case of contingencies.
We had a contingency and some countries in Europe, some countries in Europe like Spain as an example, denied us the use of those bases for a very important contingency that in some ways, the denial of those bases actually impeded the mission, not severely but had a cost and in fact, even created some unnecessary dangers.”
In a particularly strong line, he says:
“If one of the main reasons why the US is in Nato is the ability to have forces deployed in Europe that we could project to other contingencies, and now that’s no longer the case, at least when it comes to some Nato members, that’s a problem and has to be examined.”
He repeats that ultimately it’s the president’s decision to make, and there is no news so far.
He stresses that the partial withdrawal of US troops from Germany only accounts for “less than 14% of our total troop presence there” and it is part of a “pre-programmed” plan to “shift” some burden within Nato.
US Rubio praises ‘very positive’ talks with Pope Leo
Meanwhile, US secretary of state Marco Rubio is speaking to reporters after his meeting with Pope Leo and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni over the last two days.
Asked about his discussions with the Pope, he says:
“There’s a lot that we work together with the church, and we talked about those areas, that ultimately it’s important. … There’s a lot that we work together with the church, and we talked about those areas that we’re working together on different parts of the world.
I know everyone’s interested in the other aspects of it, but I … updated them on the situation with Iran, expressed our point of view about why this was an important and the danger that Iran poses to the world, which is largely recognised.”
He says that Leo is “a spiritual leader, first and foremost,” and understandably argued the case for peace, but he said the meeting overall was “very cordial” and “very positive,” recognising the church’s role as “an important global institution.”
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