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NATO allies brace themselves for more harsh truths from US’ Marco Rubio
NATO allies are readying themselves for a major ‘shift’ in responsibility for defending the continent, but diplomats told Euronews on the eve of a ministerial meeting in Brussels that the transfer of burden of responsibility is crucial to keep the US in the alliance.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Brussels on Thursday and Friday attending his first meeting of NATO foreign affairs ministers where he’s expected to hammer home US demands that the burden of security and defence of the alliance has ‘shifted’ to Europeans.
But Europeans will have a message for him too: that it’s not a good move to try to go it alone – without the support of its 31 allies.
“The messaging from Rubio will be clear: that Europeans need to take responsibility for conventional defence of Europe so we can take our American equipment to other theatres (of war), and we want Europeans to go to 5% defence expenditure,” a European NATO official with direct knowledge of the situation told Euronews.
“Burden shifting needs to take place” to keep the US within the alliance, the official said.
Allies are also bracing themselves for a drop the number of US troops stationed in Europe under NATO.
Currently there are around 100,000 troops protecting NATO territory, and members are considering the US could reduce this number by between around 20,000 – 50,000.
The US has not given any formal indication of this, but Secretary of Defence Petr Hegseth warned last month “you can’t make an assumption that America’s presence will last forever”.
“We need US troops in Europe – we have 100,000 now but I think we will see that number decrease – if we had half of that it would be fine,” said a diplomat ahead of today’s summit.
The impact of the US unwinding its presence after years of engagement would be severe but allies also say that if and when an announcement comes, they expect to be fully informed directly, and not find out from the media.
Moreover, a European diplomat has told Euronews that it would be “hard to digest” if an announcement emerged from US talks with Russia.
“If they do it, then the US scale back in an orderly way – we don’t want to read in the press that they’re pulling out, we need a process,” the diplomat said, adding: “And It would be very dramatic if it was a result of negotiations with Moscow – that would be hard to digest.”
Despite recent confrontations from the Trump administration towards Europe, NATO allies said US membership and commitment is indispensable for NATO deterrence.
“But we will have to drastically step up,” said the diplomat.
While Rubio will have a stark message to deliver to the Europeans, foreign affairs ministers will tell him that the apparent US pivot away from its traditional allies won’t serve it well as it concentrates threats in the Indo-Pacific.
“We will tell him now is not the time to go it alone – the comparative advantage staying with Europe than moving towards with China and Russia is you have 32 strong democracies by your side – Europe is buying s so much from American companies – we buy four times more in America than we buy European,” said the diplomat.
Several European diplomats have told Euronews they don’t expect the Trump administrations threats to annex Greenland – a semi-autonomous Danish territory – or take over Canada as the 51st US state to dominate the discussion, although Secretary of State Rubio is due to have a bilateral meeting with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
On meeting the demands set out by the Trump administration which will be echoed by Rubio, Rutte told journalists “lets celebrate the fact that we have spent an aggregate €700 billion euros since 2017”.
President Trump and US Defence Secretary Hegseth have said NATO spending needs to drastically increase from 2% to 5% of GDP which is likely to take a heavy toll on allies such as Spain, Italy and Belgium which haven’t yet reached 2%.
Europe has to “assess exactly what the targets we need to achieve, and which gaps that we have”, he said, adding: “We need more long-range capabilities, more air defence and to invest in our armies.”
“When you look at the aggregate number, you can assume that allies will have to spent considerably north of 3% to meet those targets.”
The governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, has approved a N10,000 transportation allowance as a palliative for the state workforce to cushion the effects of the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State chapter, Kayode Martins, in a statement released on Monday, March 23, disclosed that the governor has granted the request of the union on the issue of transportation allowance.
The statement read
“Following the intervention and formal request made by the State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) earlier this morning, the state government has approved a N10,000 transportation allowance for all workers in the state.
The newly approved allowance is set to take effect from April 2026, providing much-needed relief to workers grappling with rising transportation costs amid current economic challenges.
This development comes as a direct response to sustained advocacy by the state NLC, aimed at cushioning the impact of increased living expenses on the workforce.
Further details on implementation are expected to be communicated by the relevant government authorities in due course.”
News
Former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation bags 72years imprisonment for diverting N868.46 million security funds
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, March 23, convicted and sentenced Chukwunyere Nwabuoku, former acting Accountant-General of the Federation (AGoF), to a 72-year jail term without an option of fine.
DailyTrust reports that in the judgment delivered, Justice Omotosho held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been able to prove the nine-count money laundering charge beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the judge, the defendant is hereby convicted as charged.
Justice Omotosho convicted Nwabuoku in all the nine counts and sentenced him to eight years imprisonment in each of the counts, making 72 years.
The judge, however, ordered that the counts shall run concurrently.
Justice Omotosho, who described Nwabuoku’s act of diverting funds meant for security and defence while he served as Director of Finance and Account in the Ministry of Defence as “appalling,” commended the EFCC for being detailed in its prosecution.
The judge observed that the evidence of the 9th prosecution witness that Nwabuoku voluntarily refunded part of the siphoned money of over N200 million during investigation was not controverted by the defence.
Nwabuoku served as the Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021. He became acting Accountant General of the Federation in May 2022.
The police in Delta state have arrested eleven more suspects over the sexu@l ass@ults recorded during what was described as a “r@ping festival” in Oramudu Quarters in Ozoro last Thursday, March 19.
In a statement released on Saturday, March 21, the spokesperson of the command, SP Bright Edafe, said the CP Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) was tasked with conducting a detailed investigation into the incident.
Edafe said operatives of CP-SAT conducted a thorough analysis of available video evidence and intelligence, leading to the arrest of eleven additional suspects identified as Samson Atukpodo, Steven ovie, Ugbevo Samson, Afoke Akporobaro, Evidence Oguname, and six others. Edafe mentioned that these latest arrests bring the total number of suspects currently in police custody in connection with the incident to fifteen (15)
“The Command reiterates that preliminary findings indicate that the unfortunate incident was perpetrated by criminal elements who exploited the situation to engage in acts of sexu@l v!olence, which are in no way representative of any legitimate cultural practice.
The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Aina Adesola, condemns these acts in totality and reassures the public that the Command remains resolute in its determination to ensure that all those involved are identified, arrested, and prosecuted in accordance with the law. Members of the public, particularly victims and witnesses, are once again encouraged to come forward with credible information that will aid ongoing investigations. The Command assures that all information provided will be treated with strict confidentiality.”the statement in part reads
Fuel price hike: Gov Makinde announces N10,000 transport support for workers
Former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation bags 72years imprisonment for diverting N868.46 million security funds
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