Rubio Likely to Miss NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels as Ukraine Talks Intensify

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to miss the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on December 3, with Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau set to represent the United States. The potential absence is rare and comes as U.S., Ukrainian and European officials rush to reconcile differences over a leaked 28-point peace plan for Ukraine. Officials say Rubio’s schedule could change, but his likely no-show raises questions about U.S. engagement at a delicate moment for European security.

02:06 AM, 11/29/2025Security

Rubio Likely to Miss NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels as Ukraine Talks Intensify

By Gram Slattery and Humeyra Pamuk

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to skip the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on December 3, two U.S. officials said, a highly unusual absence for the top U.S. diplomat at a key transatlantic gathering. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is anticipated to represent Washington unless plans change.

Officials said Rubio’s schedule could still shift and declined to explain his planned absence. The potential no-show comes at a sensitive moment: U.S., Ukrainian and European actors are racing to narrow differences over a draft 28-point plan to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that was leaked to the media on November 18, and some European diplomats say they have been sidelined in negotiations.

NATO typically holds two formal foreign ministers meetings a year, and it is rare for the U.S. secretary of state to miss one. The last similar episode occurred in 2017 when then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson initially planned to skip an April meeting before the schedule was adjusted.

“Secretary Rubio also meets with and talks to NATO allies regularly, including last weekend in Geneva,” a State Department spokesperson said, noting that the administration has worked closely with European partners.

A senior State Department official added that Rubio has attended dozens of meetings with NATO partners and that it is impractical to appear at every gathering. A NATO official deferred to the United States about attendance and noted that some foreign ministers occasionally miss the event.

Rubio’s absence could deepen doubts about Washington’s commitment to European security at a time when the alliance has been under strain. President Donald Trump has publicly questioned NATO’s necessity in the past while also pressing member states to increase defense spending; he reaffirmed support for the alliance at a leaders’ summit in June.

Christopher Landau, who would attend in Rubio’s stead, previously posted doubts about NATO on the social platform X in June and later deleted the post, an episode that drew attention given the timing.

The likely absence arrives amid added turbulence in Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, resigned after anti-corruption agents searched his home, further complicating the backdrop for talks on ending the war.

Rubio’s attendance could still change. For now, diplomats and officials from across the alliance will watch closely for signs of U.S. engagement as negotiations over Ukraine’s future continue.