Rubio’s NATO visit aimed to reassure allies as Trump’s trade war, Ukraine policy, and defense demands strained U.S.-Europe relations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Brussels on Thursday for a gathering of NATO foreign ministers amid anxiety over the Trump administration’s approach to Europe, including the war in Ukraine,

Rubio “is in a very difficult position,” said Jeff Rathke, president of the American-German Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Trump “has tried to convince allies that a

Moscow has accused Ukraine of attacking Russian energy facilities four times in the past 24 hours despite a moratorium on striking each other's energy infrastructure. Ukraine has also accused Russia of repeatedly breaching the halt on such strikes. The battlefield reports have not been independently verified.

Vladimir Putin has sent two teams who don't see eye-to-eye for talks with the Trump administration. The U.S. announces new Russia-related sanctions. Get the latest Ukraine war updates.

According to the Russian independent portal Meduza, Donald Trump did not impose tariffs on Russia to avoid tensions related to talks about ending the war in Ukraine. However, it was mentioned that Moscow might also face a separate decree.