ATLANTIC(SH:600558) Xin Hua She·2025-12-05 01:40Core Viewpoint - The absence of U.S. Secretary of State Rubio at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting highlights growing transatlantic rifts and reflects U.S. indifference towards NATO and European allies, potentially deepening European distrust towards the U.S. [1] Group 1: U.S. Secretary's Absence - Rubio's absence marks the first time in over 20 years that a U.S. Secretary of State has missed a NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting, raising concerns about U.S. commitment to NATO [2] - NATO attributed Rubio's absence to a "scheduling conflict," with a senior U.S. official stating that expecting him to attend every meeting is unrealistic [3] Group 2: Military Aid to Ukraine - A key focus of the meeting was maintaining military support for Ukraine amid significant reductions in direct U.S. military aid, with NATO initiating a "Ukraine Priority Needs List" mechanism for European allies to fund U.S. weapons for Ukraine [4] - Over two-thirds of NATO members have made commitments through this mechanism, with expectations of reaching nearly $5 billion by the end of the year, while Ukraine requires approximately €83 billion (around $97 billion) in military support over the next two years, indicating a significant funding gap [6] Group 3: Internal NATO Disagreements - Discontent within NATO is evident, as major European countries like France and Italy have not committed to the funding mechanism, with France preferring to provide European-made weapons directly to Ukraine and Italy focusing on diplomatic efforts [8] - The situation has led to frustrations among NATO members, with calls for shared responsibility and criticism of Ukraine's funding requests as unreasonable [8] Group 4: European Defense Autonomy - In light of uncertainties regarding U.S. security commitments, European nations are increasingly seeking defense autonomy, with the EU launching a "European Security Action" tool to provide €150 billion in financial support for defense procurement [9] - The U.S. has expressed dissatisfaction with this plan, as it may impact the sales of U.S. defense products, leading to tensions during the NATO meeting where U.S. officials pressured European countries to convert defense spending commitments into actual capabilities [11]