Al Jazeera · Feb 14, 2026 · Collected from RSS
Rubio's speech was more conciliatory than Vice President JD Vance's speech last year - though US-EU tensions remain.
By News AgenciesPublished On 14 Feb 2026US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed European leaders at the Munich Security Conference in a speech seen as more conciliatory by the American side than previous years.Rubio on Saturday said the United States and Europe “belong together”, adding: “We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive.”Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Russia and Ukraine to hold more talks in Geneva next weeklist 2 of 3Europe’s efforts to undermine Trump’s plan on Ukraine may backfirelist 3 of 3European leaders face tough talks at Munich Security Conferenceend of listThe US under President Donald Trump wants to lead global “renewal and restoration … and that while we are prepared if necessary to do this alone, it is our preference and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe”, he said.Rubio’s speech on Saturday was seen as more conciliatory than remarks made by US Vice President JD Vance last year, who used his appearance at the event to attack European policies on immigration and free speech, shocking European allies.Despite the softer tone, Rubio still criticised Europe on migration. He warned of “civilisational erasure” caused by mass migration and said it’s “destabilising” the West – a line that has been frequently repeated by US officials, including the president.Other divisions remain between the once-ironclad allies. European leaders remain bruised by Trump’s desire to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO-member Denmark.European leaders have used the conference as an opportunity to pledge to shoulder more of the burden of shared NATO defences. Leaders said this is essential for Europe to counter a hostile Russia, with NATO chief Mark Rutte saying “a strong Europe in a strong NATO means that the transatlantic bond will be stronger than ever”.“This is the right time for a strong Europe,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, who stressed on Friday the continent is “clear in the support of Ukraine” and “building its own architecture of security”.“This Europe will be a good ally and partner for the United States of America,” the French leader said.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the conference that Europe “must be ready to fight to do whatever it takes to protect our people, our values and our way of life”, and added the continent should focus on decreasing “some dependencies” and focus on creating a “more European NATO”.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged a “rift” opened up between Europe and the US, prompted by culture wars, but issued an appeal to Washington: “Let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together.“In the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone,” said the conservative leader, who has ramped up defence spending in the top European Union economy.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she’s “very much reassured” by Rubio’s speech, reiterating a “strong Europe” is the goal.However, some were more cautious about Rubio’s stance on European immigration.“I am not sure that Europeans see the announced civilisational decline, supposedly caused mainly by migration and deindustrialisation, as a core uniting interest. For most Europeans, the common interest is security,” said Gabrielius Landsbergis, former foreign minister of NATO member Lithuania.“This was not a departure from the general position of the [Trump] administration. It was simply delivered in more polite terms,” he said on X.Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine is set to enter its fifth gruelling year.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been in Munich since Friday and meeting multiple allies, addressed the meeting on Saturday.No Russian officials have been invited, but Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China delivered a key speech.A US official said Rubio will meet with Zelenskyy at the conference. US officials have worked for months to try to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, with little success.At the White House on Friday, Trump urged Zelenskyy to “get moving” to end the war. “Russia wants to make a deal… He has to move,” the US leader said.At the conference, the US secretary of state also touched on issues outside Europe.On China, he said the US owes it to the world to manage its relations with China, even when the national interests of the two superpowers do not align.Speaking about Iran, he said Trump’s preference is to reach a deal with Tehran, but said that’s “very hard to do”.