Rubio Set The Record Straight On The Subject Of The U.S. Withdrawal From NATO

• 15.02.2026, 17:32

The head of the State Department issued a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States does not plan to withdraw from NATO. He emphasized that moving troops from one country to another has always happened.

This is reported by "RBC-Ukraine" with reference to his joint press conference with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo.

"As for NATO - I don't understand, the United States has thousands and thousands of troops deployed as part of the NATO mission. And we have made it clear, I think it was made very clear at the summit just a few days ago or at the defense ministerial meeting. We are not withdrawing from NATO. We're not leaving," Rubio said.

He emphasized that the U.S. could move a couple thousand troops from one country to another, adding that such processes have always happened.

Rubio also noted that there is no more important responsibility for any nation than the ability to defend its people and its country.

"That's why, by the way, we talk about the importance of our NATO partners having the capability.... I think what we want to say is that the stronger our allies are, the stronger we all are together," the Secretary of State summarized.

Reminder, in December 2025, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Thomas Massie introduced a bill to withdraw the United States from the NATO alliance. He argued his document as follows:

"NATO is a relic of the Cold War. The United States should withdraw from NATO and use the money to defend our country, not socialist countries. Today, I introduced a bill, HR 6508, to end our membership in NATO," the congressman wrote.

Also, his bill stated that NATO was created to counter the Soviet Union, which collapsed more than 30 years ago.