Data collection: Mania Czmochowska ; Maps: Natalia Matiaszczyk ; Text: Jakub Graca
During the first six months as Secretary of State of the United States Marco Rubio made 10 authoritative abroad trips visiting over 20 countries on 4 continents (North America, South America, Europe and Asia). At least 1 visit (to Japan and South Korea) was to be cancelled. In addition, in Washington, Rubio undertook his counterparts from respective twelve countries, with 2 meetings of peculiar importance (in the Quad format in January and July).
As many as 2 visits (including the first of the first days of February) afraid the countries of Central America and Guyana and Suriname, which shows the precedence for American diplomacy of the nonsubjective of stopping illegal immigration to the US. due to its Cuban background and cognition of Spanish, Rubio has peculiar qualifications to deal with this area of the world.
Outside Central America, Guyana and Suriname Rubio made only a fewer visits of typically bilateral character (Israel, UAE, France). All another trips to Europe and Asia had a wider formula: 3 times (in the arabian Peninsula countries in May, at the G7 summit in June in Canada and at the NATO summit besides in June in The Hague) Rubio accompanied Donald Trump and participated respective times in global format meetings (in the Munich safety Conference in February, in the G7 abroad Ministers gathering in March Canada, in NATO meetings in April and May in Turkey and in the ASEAN Summit in July in Malaysia). In addition, he participated in 2 sessions of talks concerning the war of Russia against Ukraine in Saudi Arabia (with the Russian side and erstwhile with the Ukrainian side) and in the ceremony of Pope Francis in the Vatican.
Marco Rubio's function in the mediate east politics of Donald Trump was crucial from the outset, but limited by the function of Steve Witkoff, whose Trump appointed his peculiar emissary for the mediate East. Witkoff only responds to the President, with the omission of the Secretary of State, although both officials cooperate closely. At first, Witkoff sought a solution for the war in Gaza, but over time he besides presided over the U.S.-Iranian negotiations and participated in negotiations with Russia, both in the squad from Rubio, Saudi Arabia, and alone with the Russian side in Moscow.
One disappointment is that Rubio's visit to Japan and South Korea was scheduled for early July, and the reason, according to unofficial reports, was that the expedition could not be reconciled with the obligations associated with the situation in the mediate East. In June, in turn, it appeared to the informatics that the nipponese side had cancelled a periodical dialog scheduled for July at ministerial level with the US in 2+2 format (foreign affairs and defence ministers of both parties). Although Rubio has met with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea respective times so far mainly in the spheres of global forums and summits, meaning that frequent consultations take place, there are suspicions that the cancellation of scheduled meetings is linked to the pressures that the United States is about to exert on Asian allies, with respect to a crucial increase in defence spending.
The July visit of Rubio to the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, where he had the chance to meet his counterparts not only from Japan and South Korea, but besides from another countries of the region (e.g. Malaysia or the Philippines), including his counterpart from China Wang Yi, was important. After the meeting, the US side issued a short and general message in which it stressed the importance of maintaining open channels of communication, a pragmatic approach to common relations, searching for areas of possible cooperation and seeking to manage differences. In statements to the media, Rubio estimated that the chances of gathering Donald Trump with Xi Jinping were advanced this year. In addition, the Secretary of State besides spoke to Russian abroad Minister Sergei Lavrow in Malaysia, but the State Department did not issue a message after that meeting, and Rubio's statements to the press were besides general to be utilized to measure the value of the meeting.
