Rubio: NATO expansion “not on the agenda” of alliance partners

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the question of NATO expansion is not currently a priority for the alliance, though he did not rule out such a possibility in the future.

The statement came during a hearing before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.

“I’ll be candid with you — after recent consultations with foreign ministers of other countries, the impression is that the alliance is currently focused on other matters. Talk of NATO expansion, particularly in the context of Kosovo, is not on the agenda of our partners. That does not mean such a development cannot happen in the future,” the secretary of state said.

Rubio offered no comments on the prospects of Ukraine joining NATO.

Ahead of the hearing, Rubio also said that U.S. President Donald Trump intends to attend the next North Atlantic Alliance summit, which will be held in Turkey.