BRUSSELS (TNND) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Brussels on Thursday with newly confirmed U.S. ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker as they seek to reassure allies the U.S. is committed to NATO and demand European allies spend more on defense.

"On my way to NATO’s Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels with POTUS’s call for 5% defense spending. It’s time for Europe to step up and invest more in collective security," Rubio said ahead of the meeting on X. "Looking forward to making our transatlantic partnerships stronger to keep Americans safe."

As tensions rise over President Donald Trump's steep new trade tariffs, Rubio decried “hysteria and hyperbole” in the media about Trump’s intentions.

"The United States is as active in NATO as it has ever been," Rubio told reporters as he greeted NATO chief Mark Rutte before the meeting. "And some of this hysteria and hyperbole that I see in the global media and some domestic media in the United States about NATO is unwarranted."

“We want NATO to be stronger, we want NATO to be more visible and the only way NATO can get stronger, more visible is if our partners, the nation states that comprise this important alliance, have more capability,” he said.

Whitaker added, "NATO's vitality rests on every ally doing their fair share."

But despite the encouraging words, European allies and Canada remain concerned by Trump's readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees NATO as a threat as the U.S. tries to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Trump's imposition of new global tariffs added to the uncertainty and unease.

Rutte stressed during a conversation with Rubio that NATO members have recently committed to the largest surge in defense spending since the Cold War, but there is still more to be done.

"We know that the United States is a staunch ally in NATO," Rutte said. "I had a very good meeting with the President, with President Trump, but that commitment comes with an expectation, and the expectation is that the European allies and Canada need to spend more."

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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.