US secretary of state Marco Rubio has warned that the upcoming Nato summit in Ankara will be one of the most important in the alliance's history, as President Donald Trump is disappointed that allies refused to become more actively involved in attacking Iran. Speaking at a ministerial meeting in Sweden, Rubio said the rift would have to be addressed at the leaders' level in July.
Rubio noted that the US announcement on sending 5,000 troops to Poland was pre-existing and not punitive, but emphasised that the United States continues to have global commitments that require constant re-examination of force deployments. He expressed hope for scope to work with Nato on defence industrial base issues.
Meanwhile, a Romanian F-16 Nato jet shot down a drone over Estonia on Tuesday, believed to be a Ukrainian long-range drone diverted by Russian electronic jamming. The incident highlights ongoing tensions in the Baltic region, where Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers have firmly rejected Russian disinformation campaigns and false allegations regarding airspace violations.
Diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine should be reinvigorated, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after talks with leaders of Britain, France and Germany. He expects proposals from the United States on new formats of diplomacy, noting that the frontline situation is favourable to Ukraine, which liberated 590 square kilometres in 2026.
