Top Trump administration officials are pressuring their European counterparts to continue buying American-made weapons as the European Union sets plans to limit such purchases, five anonymous sources told Reuters Wednesday.
The report comes as the latest development after President Donald Trump blasted Europe in mid-March for not supporting their "fair share" of NATO. But while Trump seeks to make a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, which ostensibly stems from Moscow's effort to bulwark against NATO expansion, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Brussels from Wednesday to Friday, warning against the Europeans from stopping purchases of American weapons.
Rubio will call on EU countries to keep up purchases U.S. weapons during his visit to Brussels this week, where he will also attend the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting, one senior State Department official said.
"It's a point the secretary has raised and will continue to raise," they added.
One State Department official told Newsweek that while Trump "welcomes" Europe's efforts to bolster defense, "transatlantic defense industrial cooperation makes the Alliance stronger."
"U.S. defense companies," they continued, "are an integral part of the transatlantic industrial base and global supply chains; they bring advanced technologies, innovation, and competitive pricing that enhances Europe's defense capabilities with the necessary speed and scale. Maintaining NATO standards and interoperability as the foundation of Alliance security requires that all Allies work together on building our capabilities."
Meanwhile, in the U.S., The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Kirill Dmitriev, a close ally of Putin, met with Steve Witkoff, a close ally of Trump's. The two met in Washington amid the rebuff diplomacy between the two superpowers as the war in Ukraine continues.
Notably, last weekend, Trump said he was "pissed off" at Putin slow-walking negotiations. The meeting of the two diplomats comes as Moscow conscripts thousands of for its war in Ukraine and as Britain and France prepare to send troops to the war zone as well.
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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