Rubio says the US wants to ‘cooperate’ with countries in the hemisphere – National

The United States wants to “partner” with countries in the Western Hemisphere, including Canada, to deal with problems such as narco-terrorism and mass migration, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.

In a wide-ranging and lengthy press conference to mark the end of his first year as America’s top diplomat, Rubio faced several questions about the Trump administration’s new national security strategy that seeks to reestablish US leadership and dominance over the hemisphere.

This strategy, which sets out the desire to “enlist” the countries of the Western Hemisphere to achieve the goals of the US policy in the region, has raised the alarm in Canada about those countries that the United States calls “underground states.”

Rubio, who is also US President Donald Trump’s adviser on national security, said that he participated in the creation of this strategy and said that the whole purpose is to protect the interests of the United States.

Asked how this strategy will affect relations with other hemispheric powers such as Canada and Mexico, Rubio suggested that those other countries in the region have a common goal of safety and security.

“We want to partner with as many people (as we can) – they face the same threats that we do,” he said, pointing to violence and corruption in parts of Mexico as examples of the threat posed by international drug cartels – a threat that Canada also faces.

“They (Mexico) see it, that’s why they cooperate with us. Of course we want to cooperate with other governments in the region to face this challenge, and in many cases we have areas of cooperation.”

Trump’s strategy for the West has seen recent US military operations in Venezuela, which Rubio repeatedly insisted on Friday was focused on stopping drug trafficking, not removing President Nicolas Maduro from power.

“It is clear that the current situation with the Venezuelan regime will not be tolerated by the United States, the current situation … they not only cooperate but cooperate and participate in activities that endanger the interests of the United States,” he said. “So yes, our goal is to change that dynamic.

“We have an illegitimate regime,” he added, his comments several times while pointing to last year’s disputed presidential election and the US case against Maduro.

In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Trump would not go to war with Venezuela.

Rubio said he doesn’t think the U.S. will take any additional steps, legally, that would require congressional approval. He said “nothing has happened” so far that would require that permission “or cross the border into war.”

He did not comment directly when asked about US media reports that both the United Kingdom and Canada have distanced themselves from deadly – and controversial – submarine strikes in the Caribbean against suspected drug-trafficking boats by refusing or limiting intelligence sharing, and whether that was damaging relations with those allies.

However, he suggested both that the reports are false and that the US does not need foreign intelligence to do this or verify its legitimacy.

“Look, every day I read things that are not true,” he said, telling the gathered journalists, “You are lied to sometimes.”

“We have everything we need” for boat strikes, he added, “and one of the reasons why you’ve seen this deployment of so many people in the region is to be able to gather intelligence and paint a picture that we can justify to lawyers based on the law. So I’m very optimistic about that effort, it’s been very successful.”

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Ottawa has previously said that the Canadian military and government are not involved in American activities.

Rubio’s press conference came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his year-end update to reporters in Moscow, where he stuck to his position that the war in Ukraine will end with Russia acquiring Ukrainian land by force or through negotiations.

US and Ukrainian officials are meeting with Middle East mediators in Miami this weekend for further talks.

Rubio said there can be no peace deal unless Ukraine and Russia agree on terms, making it impossible for the US to force a deal on anyone. Instead, the US is trying to “find out if we can move both sides to the same place.”

Asked if the U.S. could help protect Europe — where leaders are increasingly concerned about Russian aggression and intrusion — from possible attacks, Rubio said the commitment to collective defense has not wavered.

“Article 5 in the NATO alliance is important, and the president emphasized that,” he said. “We think it is a strong deterrent to any of these fears or concerns that any of our allies in the region may have. And the president has made it clear that we are committed to NATO, we are committed to the alliance, and our commitment is not just talk.

“The only thing we ask, which is not unfair, is that our partners in the alliance improve their capabilities … the fact of the matter is that NATO is the main defense alliance and the agreement that has given stability to the European continent. We believe that it is stronger today than ever before.”

Canada joined NATO allies this year in committing to spend 5 percent of its GDP on defense by 2035, 3.5 percent of which will be investing in the military.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has increased defense spending since taking office in March, and has vowed that Canada will meet NATO’s previous defense spending target of 2 per cent this year.

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