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The United States wants to “partner” with the countries of Western Hemisphereincluding Canada, to collectively tackle issues like narcoterrorism and mass migration, US Secretary of State says Marco Rubio said Friday.
During a long, wide-ranging news conference marking the end of his first year as America’s top diplomat, Rubio faced several questions about the new Trump administration. national security strategy that seeks to restore U.S. leadership and dominance in the hemisphere.
The strategy, which expresses the desire to “enlist” the countries of the Western Hemisphere to implement American policy objectives in the region, sounded the alarm in Canada that these countries become the so-called “vassal states” of the United States.
Rubio, who is also national security adviser to US President Donald Trump, said he was involved in developing the strategy and that the main goal was to protect US national interests.
Asked about the strategy’s impact on relations with other hemispheric powers like Canada and Mexico, Rubio suggested that these countries and others in the region have the same goal of safety and security.
“We want to collaborate with as many people (as possible) – they face the same threats as us,” he said, citing violence and corruption in parts of Mexico as examples of the threat posed by transnational drug cartels. a threat that Canada also faces.
“They (Mexico) recognize this, that’s why they are partnering with us. Of course, we want to work with other governments in the region to address this challenge, and in most cases we have places for cooperation.”
Trump’s strategy for the Western Hemisphere has been reflected in recent U.S. military operations in Venezuela, which Rubio repeatedly insisted Friday were focused on stopping drug trafficking and not ousting President Nicolas Maduro from power.
“It is clear that the current status quo with the Venezuelan regime is intolerable for the United States, the status quo where they … not only cooperate, but associate and participate in activities that threaten the national interest of the United States,” he said. “So yes, our goal is to change that dynamic.
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“We have an illegitimate regime,” he added, a comment he has made repeatedly when discussing both last year’s disputed presidential election and the U.S. indictment against Maduro.
In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Trump would not rule out war with Venezuela.
Rubio said he would not speculate on whether the United States would take additional steps that by law would require congressional approval. He said “nothing has happened so far that would require this approval “or cross the threshold into war.”
He did not want to comment directly when asked about US media reports that the UK and Canada have distanced themselves deadly – and controversial – boat strikes in the Caribbean against boats suspected of drug trafficking by refusing or limiting intelligence sharing, and whether this harmed relations with these allies.
However, he suggested both that this information was false and that the United States did not need outside intelligence to conduct the operations or establish their legality.
“Look, every day I read things that just aren’t true,” he told the assembled reporters: “You guys get lied to sometimes. »
“We have everything we need” to deal with the boat strikes, he added, “and one of the reasons you’ve seen this massive deployment to the region is to be able to gather intelligence and put together a picture that we can justify to lawyers based on the law. So I’m very confident in that effort, it’s been very successful.”
Ottawa has previously said the Canadian military and government are not involved in US operations.
Rubio’s news conference came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his year-end review to reporters in Moscow, where he maintained his position that the war in Ukraine would end with Russia conquering Ukrainian lands, either by force or through a negotiated settlement.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials will meet with Middle East mediators in Miami this weekend for further discussions.
Rubio said there would be no peace deal unless Ukraine and Russia could agree to its terms, which would make it impossible for the United States to force a deal on anyone. Instead, the United States is trying to “determine whether we can push both sides toward common ground.”
Asked whether the United States would help defend Europe — where leaders are increasingly concerned about Russian aggression and encroachment — against possible attack, Rubio said the commitment to collective self-defense has not wavered.
“Article 5 of the NATO alliance is important, and the president reiterated that,” he said. “We think it’s a very powerful deterrent against any of these fears or concerns that our allies may have in the region. And the president has made it clear that we are committed to NATO, we are committed to the alliance, and our commitment is not just rhetorical.”
“The only thing we are asking, and it is not unfair, is that our alliance partners improve their own capabilities…the truth is that NATO is the key defense alliance and the agreement that has provided stability on the European continent. We believe it is stronger today than it has ever been.”
Canada this year joined NATO allies in pledging to spend 5 percent of its GDP on defense by 2035, of which 3.5 percent will be devoted to core military investments.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has increased defense spending since taking office in March and has promised that Canada will meet NATO’s defense spending target of 2 percent this year.
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