"Some of this hysteria and hyperbole … about NATO is unwarranted," Rubio told reporters at NATO headquarters ahead of a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers.
"President Trump has made clear he supports NATO," he added, echoing assurances that the United States remains "as active in NATO as it has ever been."
Trump has questioned the alliance’s value, accusing European allies of "freeloading," but NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, standing alongside Rubio, insisted there were "no plans" for a sudden US drawdown in Europe, even if Washington became more focused on Asia.
"We will do that in a coordinated manner," Rutte said.
Rubio also called for a "realistic pathway" to a 5-percent of GDP defense spending goal by all NATO allies, saying that the United States – now spending about 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense – would face a nearly USD 1 trillion annual defense budget to reach that benchmark.
Twenty-three NATO members already meet or exceed the alliance's current 2-percent target, with states bordering Russia aiming for or surpassing 3 percent.
Poland now spends a higher proportion of GDP on defense than any other NATO member, including the United States, data show.
Last year, Poland's defense spending reached 4.1 percent of GDP, according to NATO estimates.
President Andrzej Duda in January signed the country's budget for 2025, which expects defense spending to reach 4.7 percent of GDP this year.
Duda last month issued a special letter to the leaders of all NATO member states, asking them to increase defense spending to at least 3 percent of GDP.
US President Donald Trump in March reiterated doubts about defending NATO allies who fail to meet defence spending goals, telling reporters in the Oval Office: "If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them."
(jh/gs)
Source: Euractiv, PAP, Sky News