Rubio lauds “incredibly strong” alliance between US and Australia
US secretary of state says Australia ‘is our only ally that has fought with us in every war’ over past 50 years
WASHINGTON, United States (MNTV) — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised what he called the “incredibly strong alliance” between the United States and Australia, describing Canberra as Washington’s only ally to have fought alongside it in every war over the past five decades.
“This is a very strong partnership. It’s a strong alliance, and what we want to do is continue to build on it. We think we have a lot of momentum behind this alliance. We truly have no better friend,” Rubio said.
Rubio and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hosted Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles for high-level bilateral talks, marking 40 years of the Australia–United States Foreign Affairs and Defense Minister consultations.
Although China was not mentioned directly, the talks were widely viewed as focused on countering Beijing’s growing influence in the region.
Rubio also praised the AUKUS trilateral security partnership with the United Kingdom, stating the arrangement was moving “full steam ahead.” He highlighted what he called a “landmark” critical minerals agreement signed in October, stressing the need for reliable and diverse supply chains.
“To build our economies and to prosper, we have to have critical mineral supplies and supply chains that are reliable and that are diverse, and not overly invested in one place where they can be used as leverage against us or our partners,” Rubio said.
His comments appeared to reference China, which recently eased export restrictions on critical minerals following talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In a separate meeting with Penny Wong, Rubio reaffirmed that the United States has “no better friend, partner, or ally than Australia,” pointing to progress in implementing the Critical Minerals Framework signed by Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The US State Department said both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, cooperation against online scam networks, and support for strategic infrastructure development across the Pacific.
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