 "Marco Rubio switches planes to attend Munich Security Conference after his aircraft suffers glitch")
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on his way to the Munich Security Conference when his plane had to turn back after it experienced a mechanical issue, the State Department said in a statement on Friday.
The plane, which was headed for Munich, had to return to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland where the State Secretary had to board another aircraft to continue his journey to Germany and West Asia.
“The plane on which Secretary Rubio is flying experienced a mechanical issue,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.
Rubio is set to join US Vice President JD Vance in a meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after President Donald Trump spoke by phone with his counterpart Vladimir Putin and said he would pursue diplomacy to end the war.
Following his trip to Germany, Rubio will travel to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates where he will rake up the fragile Gaza ceasefire deal with stakeholders.
He will also hold discussions on a proposal by Trump that drew outrage in the region to expel Palestinian residents of Gaza, which has been levelled by Israel in a 16-month war triggered by a Hamas attack.
Secretary Rubio’s engagements with senior officials will promote U.S. interests in advancing regional cooperation, stability, and peace," the State Department said of the trip.
With inputs from agencies
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
