Ukraine NATO membership not on table: Rubio

Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Ukraine’s membership in NATO is “not on the table” at present, as the United States concentrates on trying to bring the war with Russia to an end.

Rubio also voiced concern about the direction of the conflict, saying Washington was watching the “trend lines” and they were not moving towards an end to the fighting.

“Ukraine, right now, NATO membership, as you know, is not on the table as we speak, because there's obviously a consensus process that has to happen in order for unanimity process that has to happen,” Rubio said.

He was speaking at a joint media availability with Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir in Reykjavik.

Asked directly about his position on Ukraine joining NATO, Rubio said there was no simple yes-or-no answer.

Instead, he said, the immediate US priority was ending the conflict.

“Right now we're simply focused, when it comes to Ukraine on the ending of this conflict, if that's possible,” Rubio said.

“And it's unfortunate the amount of loss of life. We've been clear that if there's a role we can play in bringing that war to an end, we want to play a constructive role.”

But Rubio indicated that Washington was concerned by the current trajectory.

“We're obviously watching the trend lines there and seeing that's not the direction that it's headed right now,” he said.

His comments came during a discussion that ranged beyond Ukraine to growing security concerns across the Arctic and High North.

Rubio said the changing international security environment had renewed Washington’s focus on the region after US forces were shifted elsewhere following the end of an enduring presence in Iceland in 2006.

“The reality of it is the world has changed over the last 20 years,” he said.

“Our focus has changed. There's a lot of focus on the Arctic.”

Rubio described Iceland as strategically important to both European and US security because of its geography and said Washington would be open to discussing additional cooperation with Reykjavik.

“I think Iceland and its location plays a critical role in the defense both of Europe, but also of the homeland of the United States because of geography,” he said.

The Secretary of State said security concerns in the High North were not confined to conventional military threats. He cited covert activity, threats to undersea cables and shipping lanes, and economic and commercial challenges with national security implications.

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