U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington’s partnership with Europe while also setting out clear expectations for its allies. “We belong together,” Rubio said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference (MSC). “We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive.” Although his tone was softer than that of U.S. Vice President JD Vance a year earlier, Rubio urged Europeans to follow the firm course of President Donald Trump, including in the fight against “mass migration.”
“We don’t want a split, but rather to revive an old friendship,” Rubio emphasized, referring to European partners. An end to the transatlantic era is “neither our goal nor our desire,” he added. “What we want is a revitalized alliance.” For that to happen, however, Europe must be capable of defending itself. The U.S. government wants to pursue progress and prosperity “with a Europe that is proud of its heritage and its history (...), that is able to defend itself and has the will to survive.”
“We don’t want our allies to be weak, because that weakens us,” Rubio said. The U.S. government aims to advance a “renewal” of the world order together with Europe. “And although we are prepared to do this alone if necessary, it is our preference and our hope to do it together with you, our friends here in Europe,” he stated.
Trump expects “seriousness and reciprocity” from European allies. “We Americans sometimes seem a little direct, a little insistent in our advice,” Rubio said, adding that this stems from concern about Europe’s future.
The Secretary of State reaffirmed his administration’s hardline stance on migration. “Mass migration is not a marginal phenomenon of minor importance. It has been and remains a transformative and destabilizing crisis.” In doing so, he echoed criticism of Europe contained in the U.S. security strategy published in December, which referred to the “civilizational annihilation” of Europe through migration.
Rubio called for a return to a “sensible foreign policy.” The United States and Europe must act together “to rediscover our place in the world, while condemning and deterring the forces that today threaten to destroy our civilizations in both America and Europe,” he said.
His government does not intend to abandon the “system of international cooperation.” However, he argued that the “global institutions of the old order” require reform. Rubio accused the United Nations of being sidelined in resolving international conflicts, saying it has played “virtually no role.” He asserted that it was U.S. leadership that achieved a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and helped bring both sides in the Ukraine war to the negotiating table.
“The United Nations still has enormous potential to serve as an instrument for good in the world,” Rubio said. “But we cannot ignore the fact that today it has no answers to the most pressing issues we face and has played virtually no role.”
In his opening speech on Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) distanced himself from the United States, speaking of a “rift” and a “deep chasm” that had opened between Europe and the U.S. At the same time, he called for “repairing and reviving transatlantic trust.” Europe should not abandon NATO, he said, but must “erect a strong, self-sustaining European pillar within the alliance in its own interest.”
More than 1,000 delegates are attending this year’s three-day Munich Security Conference, including over 60 heads of state and government as well as around 100 foreign and defense ministers. Dozens of members of the U.S. Congress have also traveled to the conference. Alongside transatlantic relations, the war in Ukraine is a central focus of discussions.
“We do not want separation, but to revive an old friendship,” Rubio stressed, referring to European partners. “What we want is a revitalized alliance.” The U.S. administration aims to pursue a path of progress and prosperity “with a Europe that is proud of its heritage and its history (...), that is capable of defending itself and has the will to survive.”
“We do not want our allies to be weak, because that makes us weaker,” Rubio added. The U.S. Secretary of State also reaffirmed his government’s position on migration policy. “We opened our gates to mass migration, which has endangered the survival of our culture and our peoples,” he said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) had taken a more distant stance toward the United States in his opening speech on Friday. From the strained relationship with Washington, the chancellor derived the call to “repair and revive transatlantic trust.” Last year, U.S. Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized Germany and Europe at the MSC over alleged restrictions on freedom of speech. His speech triggered shock among European allies.
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