US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Bulgaria for supporting Operation "Epic Fury". In an interview with Fox News, Rubio commented on the Trump administration's relations with NATO allies. According to him, the main reason the Alliance is useful to the US is their access to military bases in Europe, which can be used in crises in the Middle East and Africa.
„There were NATO countries that were very useful to us. Just for example - Portugal said – "yes"; even before we told them what the issue was. Poland. There are such countries - Romania, Bulgaria. Others, like Spain, were terrible, downright shocking," Rubio commented.
“There are perfectly legitimate questions about NATO's role if, in a time of conflict, like the one with Iran, member states can deny the United States access to bases,” he added.