US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was cut short from his European travel on Friday after his plane hit a mechanical glitch, forcing the aircraft to have to return to Andrews Air Force Base. Rubio was on his way to attend the Munich Security Conference, said the State Department.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce explained, “The aircraft on which Secretary Rubio is traveling had a mechanical problem.” A smaller plane later departed with Rubio on board, bound for Europe, although media were not aboard.
Rubio was set to meet US Vice President JD Vance in a session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after a telephonic conversation between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rubio’s tour takes him through Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, where he will speak on a tenuous Gaza ceasefire and meet on Trump’s contentious suggestion of removing Palestinian inhabitants from Gaza.
In spite of periodic mechanical problems with the old US diplomatic fleet, the journey went on with little delay.
