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"The time has come for Europeans to take on more and more, step by step," said the German defense minister...
Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War, is "missing out on a nice holiday" by choosing not to attend a meeting of his fellow NATO defense ministers in Brussels, said Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir, Iceland's foreign minister.
Other allies were more diplomatic, downplaying the no-show, although Germany's defense minister highlighted the need for the alliance to become "more European" to remain transatlantic.
The comments came as defense ministers from the 32-nation bloc gathered at NATO headquarters on Thursday to discuss steps to boost European security a year after Mr. Hegseth warned them that the United States was shifting its focus to other priorities and Europe needed to take the lead in defending itself.
Sky News asked a number of ministers, as they arrived, what they thought of the war secretary's decision not to return to NATO headquarters for this year's ministerial meeting, sending instead Elbridge Colby, his deputy, and whether this was a signal that the United States was less interested in Europe's security.
Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir, Iceland's foreign minister, who is also responsible for defense, said he was missing out on a beautiful holiday. She added that the allies were put to the test earlier this year when Donald Trump threatened to invade Greenland even though it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
"Unfortunately for him, he is missing out on a beautiful celebration. Of course, it is always better for ministers to participate here, but I would not describe this as a bad signal ," she said.
Mark Rutte, the head of the alliance, defused that crisis when he spoke to the US president on the sidelines of a major economic forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, making clear that protecting the Arctic is a core priority for all allies.
On Wednesday, NATO announced an expanded mission to protect the high north, called Arctic Sentry. The move appears designed to show Mr. Trump that the territory is well-protected from threats from Russia and China.
" I think the alliance is stronger now than at the beginning of the year ," said the Icelandic foreign minister.
Boris Pistorius, the defense minister of Germany, which is sharply increasing its defense spending in response to Mr. Trump's demands, said he was not "disappointed" that his American counterpart had stayed away from the NATO meeting. Pistorius said it was right that Europe played a much greater role in defending itself.
"I know everyone, each of us had a full, full agenda. The time has come for Europeans to take on more and more step by step in the coming years. This is absolutely normal and natural. I understand and support this direction ," he told Sky News.
Pistorius stressed that the main point for him was that the United States is a member of NATO and remains a member of NATO. But he added that a key to keeping NATO transatlantic is to make it more European.
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