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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
If NATO allies refuse permission to use bases in their countries, that is a problem and should be looked into, said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"I've said it publicly, and I've said it 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 stationed in Europe and bases that allow us a logistical ability to project force in the event of emergencies," Rubio said.
As Donald Trump has announced the withdrawal of American troops from several NATO countries, the Secretary of State said that these are decisions that must be made by the President.
"We had an emergency and some countries in Europe, like Spain for example, denied us the use of those bases for a very important emergency that in some ways, the denial of those bases actually hindered the mission, not severely, but it had a cost and in fact, even created some unnecessary risks," the Secretary of State added.
He went on to add that "if one of the main reasons why the US is in NATO is the ability to have forces stationed in Europe that we can project to other occasions, and now that is no longer the case, at least when it comes to some NATO members, that is a problem and needs to be looked at."
He stressed that the partial withdrawal of US troops from Germany constitutes only "less than 14% of our total troop presence there" and is part of a "pre-programmed" plan to "shift" some of the burden within NATO.
The US Secretary of State's statements were made after the meeting he held with Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy.
Asked about the attack on Iran, Rubio stressed that the US "responded" to Iranian attacks.
"What if you shoot a drone or a missile at our destroyer, what should we do? Let it hit? We should respond. We should shoot down the missile. We should destroy whatever launched that missile. The alternative is to let one of our ships sink. That's madness," he stressed.
"You think we shouldn't shoot down the drone? That's an idiotic stance. Of course, we fought back. They were shooting at us. That's what I expected us to do. Only stupid countries don't fight back when they shoot at you, and we're not a stupid country," he added.
Turning 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 this situation.
"If the answer is no, we don't think Iran should be able to control the Strait of Hormuz, then the next question for everyone will be: what are you going to do about it?"
The fundamental question that every country, not Italy, every country, should ask itself is, are you going to normalize a country that claims to control an international waterway?
"Because if you normalize this, you set a precedent that will be repeated in a dozen other countries, and if the answer is no, we don't want to normalize it, then you better have something more than just strongly worded statements to back it up," the US Secretary of State said.
Nëse NATO është një ekip që luan futboll bazuar në rregullat e veta, SHBA-të nuk kanë të drejtë të luajnë jashtë vijës anësore. NATO nuk është lodër e Trump! NATO mund të mbetet dhe të bëhet më e fortë VETËM nëse respektohen rregullat e lojës! Lojë e ndershme, Marco, miku im!