Politico Reports US NATO Ambassador Whitaker Asked Allies to Leave the Rome Statute

Politico Europe published on September 9, 2026 (publication date) an account of a closed-door meeting of NATO ambassadors in Brussels in mid-July (meeting date, no day given). It reports that U.S. envoy Matthew Whitaker asked NATO countries for help in disassembling the ICC and urged them to leave the Rome Statute, according to anonymous NATO diplomats. Per those diplomats, he closed with: “We will be watching closely who stands with America.”

The written demand. Politico quotes a U.S. mission paper sent to NATO delegations: “The United States will systematically dismantle the capabilities of the ICC”. Politico says it saw details of the paper, which has not been published; the document itself was not seen for this entry. The paper also pressed allies to “examine the threat” of the ICC. The US NATO delegation did not respond to a request for comment.

Reaction. France and the Netherlands defended the ICC in the meeting, per the diplomats. Diplomats told Politico it was unlikely Washington meant to compel allies, because the point was a side item. Rubio’s public line, per Politico, on July 13: “The ICC and its friends are waging a war against our country not with bullets or missiles but with statutes, compacts and the force of so-called international law.”

Status: reported. This rests on one outlet, anonymous diplomats and a document shown to that outlet. The Jerusalem Post and TRT World restate Politico and add nothing independent. Related entry on the court’s designation: 2026-10-09–us-designates-international-criminal-court-itself-ofac-sdn-eo-14203.