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Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s plane was diverted to Joint Base Andrews on Thursday night over reported mechanical issues, according to the State Department.
Rubio was traveling to the Munich Security Conference in Germany when the unexpected travel plans arose, with scheduled stops in the Middle East.
“The trip [to the Middle East] will center on freeing American and all other hostages from Hamas captivity, advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and countering the destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime and its proxies,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Wednesday.
An official stated that the mechanical issue involved the cockpit windshield of the C-32, a modified Boeing 757, and occurred approximately 90 minutes after departing from Joint Base Andrews.
Bruce said Rubio plans to continue his trip to Germany and the Middle East on a different aircraft.
Rubio was also scheduled for a Friday morning meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich.
The trip follows the secretary’s successful venture to Panama earlier this month.
“I met with Panamanian President @JoseRaulMulino and Foreign Minister @javierachapma to make clear that the United States cannot, and will not, allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue with its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal area. We also discussed efforts to end the hemisphere’s mass migration crisis and ensure fair competition for U.S. firms,” Rubio posted to X following the trip.
In a readout from his meeting with Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce summarized the meeting.
“Secretary Rubio informed President Mulino and Minister Martínez-Acha that President Trump has made a preliminary determination that the current position of influence and control of the Chinese Communist Party over the Panama Canal area is a threat to the canal and represents a violation of the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal,” she wrote.
The readout continued, “Secretary Rubio made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the Treaty.”
