North Macedonia’s President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova confused the identities of senior U.S. officials during a statement made at the NATO summit in The Hague, mistakenly referring to U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio as Vice President J.D. Vance.
In a televised interview with TV21, Siljanovska-Davkova incorrectly called Vance “Vice President DJ Vance” and claimed he had attended the summit alongside former U.S. President Donald Trump — although Vance was not present.
She further stated that Vance knew North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski and suggested the vice president might visit the country. In reality, Mucunski met with Rubio in Washington on May 29.
“I told him I am the Macedonian president, and he had an interesting reaction — I mean his body language,” Siljanovska-Davkova said. “I told him the most important thing is to preserve peace.”
Siljanovska-Davkova is leading North Macedonia’s delegation at the NATO gathering, accompanied by Foreign Minister Mucunski and Defence Minister Vlado Misajlovski. Former President Trump is heading the U.S. delegation, which includes Senator Rubio and Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth.
The president shared photos on Facebook showing her and Mucunski shaking hands with Trump, describing the encounter as a “brief meeting with the American President Donald Trump — a symbolic gesture of respect and partnership.”