The US Secretary of State was en route to the Munich Security Conference when his plane abruptly turned back
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio departs for the Munich Security Conference, February 13, 2025 © Evelyn Hockstein / Pool Photo via AP US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was en route to Germany on Thursday when his plane was forced to turn back toward Joint Base Andrews, just outside Washington. “The plane on which Secretary Rubio is flying experienced a mechanical issue,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said, as cited by AFP. “The plane has turned around and is returning to Joint Base Andrews. The Secretary intends to continue his travel to Germany and the Middle East on a separate aircraft,” she added. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that “high-level” US representatives will meet their Russian counterparts at the Munich Security Conference on Friday to discuss a resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
“They’re having a meeting in Munich tomorrow. Russia is going to be there with our people,” Trump told journalists at the White House. He added that “Ukraine is also invited, by the way,” but did not specify the format of the meeting or clarify whether it would be a three-way dialogue or a series of bilateral talks. The Munich Security Conference runs from February 14 to 16 in Munich. Rubio was en route to join US Vice President J.D. Vance, who is already in Germany leading the American delegation. Vance is expected to meet with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky during the event. The US Senate confirmed Rubio as secretary of state just hours after President Trump was sworn in on January 20. The trip to Germany to discuss the Ukraine conflict is his second overseas journey in this capacity. Afterward he will travel to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to address the Gaza war and Trump’s idea for the US to take over the Palestinian enclave. READ MORE: Rubio delivers Trump’s ultimatum to Panama Earlier in February, the top US diplomat delivered Trump’s ultimatum to Panama as part of his Latin American trip, which also included visits to Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.
