Rubio warns Ukraine war risks spilling into neighbouring NATO states
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said a stalled war in Ukraine could escalate into a wider regional conflict involving sabotage in NATO countries, speaking in Lisbon on Thursday.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio warned on Thursday that Russia's war against Ukraine could spread into a wider regional conflict if neither side advances on the battlefield, speaking at a press conference in Lisbon. He said any escalation could take the form of sabotage campaigns in NATO countries near Ukraine, turning what is now a war between two countries into a much wider and more dangerous regional conflict.
Rubio also addressed criticism of US pressure on NATO allies to raise defence spending, saying the push "is not a hostile thing". He said stronger individual members made the alliance and its deterrence stronger, and praised Portugal's plan to raise defence spending from 2% to 3% of its budget, well short of the 5% President Donald Trump has demanded. Rubio acknowledged that smaller NATO members such as Portugal faced difficulty funding major military projects.
The European Union accuses Moscow of running a campaign of sabotage and disruption in Europe to undermine support for Ukraine and destabilise member states, officials have said. Rubio did not name specific countries he believed were at risk of similar sabotage.
Rubio said the Trump administration would keep trying to broker an end to the war, but that it would not invest in talks showing no sign of progress.
What we know
- US secretary of state Marco Rubio warned that Russia's war on Ukraine could spread into a wider regional conflict, including sabotage campaigns in nearby NATO countries, he said in Lisbon on Thursday.
- Rubio said US pressure on NATO allies to raise defence spending "is not a hostile thing", and praised Portugal's plan to raise spending from 2% to 3% of its budget.
- The EU accuses Moscow of running sabotage campaigns in Europe to undermine support for Ukraine, officials have said.
Why it matters for Europe
Rubio's warning of possible sabotage in NATO states bordering Ukraine echoes concerns EU officials have raised this year after a string of drone incursions, damage to undersea cables and infrastructure incidents blamed on Russia, including in Baltic and Nordic countries. His comments add a senior US voice to that assessment, at a time when Washington has also pressed European allies over defence spending levels most have struggled to meet.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- Danas: Rubio: Pritisak SAD na NATO saveznike nije neprijateljska stvar
- N1 Srbija: Rubio: Pritisak SAD na NATO saveznike da više ulažu u odbranu nije neprijateljska stvar
- Portal Analitika: Rubio: Pritisak SAD na NATO članice da više ulažu u odbranu nije neprijateljska stvar
- CDM: Rubio: Pritisak SAD na NATO saveznike da više ulažu u odbranu nije neprijateljska stvar
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- What did Marco Rubio warn about?
- He said Russia's war against Ukraine could spread into a wider regional conflict, including sabotage campaigns in nearby NATO countries.
- What did Rubio say about NATO defence spending?
- He said US pressure on allies to raise defence spending "is not a hostile thing" and praised Portugal's plan to increase its budget share for defence.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.