Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States wants to “revitalize” its relationship with Europe in a key foreign policy speech to the continent’s leaders on Saturday.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Rubio said the U.S. and Europe shared a centuries-old history and “belong together,” a message that some European leaders viewed as an olive branch after an antagonistic appearance by Vice President J.D. Vance at the same forum the previous year.
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“We want Europe to be strong,” Rubio said, adding that the two world wars of the 20th century serve as a reminder that “our destiny is and always will be intertwined with yours.”
Read more: How Europe Has Turned Against U.S.
His speech comes at a time when U.S.-European relations have been strained by President Donald Trump’s aggressive efforts to annex Greenland, his Administration’s ongoing trade war with most European allies, and a years-long divide over the future of NATO and European security.
Rubio argued that the U.S. still cares deeply about Europe’s future and suggested disagreements stem from “profound concern” for the continent, which he described as the birthplace of a common civilization. He said the U.S. intends to work with the Europeans, not against them.
“We are connected not just economically, not just militarily. We are connected spiritually, and we are connected culturally,” he added.
Here’s what we learned from the speech:
A change in tone
Rubio’s speech marked a dramatic shift in tone from the United States’ contribution to last year’s conference, delivered by Vice President Vance, who rebuked European leaders for marginalizing far-right parties and accused them of curbing free speech.
While his remarks were met with silence, Rubio’s speech drew bursts of applause and laughter.
The Secretary of State offered a conciliatory message, saying the U.S., under Trump, seeks to lead a global “renewal and restoration.”
Rubio said the “euphoria” that followed the West’s Cold War victory gave rise to a “dangerous delusion that we had entered ‘the end of history,’ that every nation would now be a liberal democracy, that the ties formed by trade and by commerce alone would now replace nationhood … and that we would now live in a world without borders where everyone became a citizen of the world.”
“We made these mistakes together, and now together we owe it to our people to face those facts and to move forward to rebuild,” Rubio said.
“This is why we Americans may sometimes come off as a little direct and urgent in our counsel,” he said. “This is why President Trump demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends here in Europe.”
Despite the softer tone, Rubio shared much of Vance’s criticism of Europe over migration.
Rubio warned of the dangers of “mass migration” and “civilizational erasure,” and pointed to what he described as the weakening of post-World War II institutions such as the United Nations, which he said require sweeping reform.
“We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West‘s managed decline,” he said.
Trump has floated both Rubio and Vance as potential 2028 presidential frontrunners, so their contrasting speeches will likely be dissected by European leaders over the next few years for clues about where the U.S. will be heading if Republicans win.
U.N. needs reform
Rubio said the United Nations “still has tremendous potential,” but argued that on today’s most pressing issues, “it has no answers and has played virtually no role.” Instead, he praised American leadership for “problem-solving.”
“The U.N. could not solve the war in Gaza; it has not solved the war in Ukraine,” Rubio said.
His comments come as Trump’s Board of Peace, which some view as a potential rival to the U.N., is set to hold its first meeting on Feb. 19, in Washington, D.C.
The Board of Peace is designed to oversee Gaza’s redevelopment and resolve global conflicts. The inaugural meeting aims to raise funds for Gaza’s reconstruction and convene international leaders from the 27 countries that signed the charter.
The United Arab Emirates and the United States have already pledged $1 billion to Trump’s Board of Peace, according to two officials close to the board’s funding matters.
Speaking immediately after Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi struck a contrasting tone.
“The main reason for the inadequacy of the current international system is not the United Nations itself, but the fact that some countries magnify differences, pursue national priorities … and even revive the Cold War mentality,” he said. “All these have undermined the basis of trust, worsened the atmosphere of cooperation, and made the operation of international mechanisms difficult.”
Despite Ukraine’s fate looming over this year’s conference, Rubio made little mention of Russia’s full-scale invasion, citing it only as an example of the United Nations’ shortcomings.
“It has not solved the war in Ukraine. It took American leadership and partnership with many of the countries here today just to bring the two sides to the table in search of a still elusive peace,” he said.
The war remains a major concern for Europe as the Trump administration increases pressure on Ukraine to make concessions for a peace deal with Russia. Ukrainian officials recently said American negotiators had called for Ukraine to hold elections by May 15, a deadline seen as unlikely while the war continues.
Speaking later at the conference, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said his country would hold elections only after a cease-fire. Zelensky, who has been president since 2019, noted that elections have not been held since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and stressed that Ukraine needed strong security guarantees before agreeing to any end to the war.
“We hope President Trump hears us,” he said.
European reaction
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “very much reassured by the speech of the secretary of state,” calling him a “good friend” and a “strong ally.”
Upon taking the stage after Rubio’s speech, she started with a simple message: “Europe must become more independent – there is no other choice.”
“The European way of life – our democratic foundation and the trust of our citizens – is being challenged in new ways. On everything from territories to tariffs or tech regulations,” she said, appearing to reference the U.S., but also citing Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine.
This independence must be wide-ranging and cover areas including “Defence and energy. Economy and trade. Raw materials and digital tech,” she said.
“Some may say the word ‘independence’ runs counter to our transatlantic bond. But the opposite is true. An independent Europe is a strong Europe. And a strong Europe makes for a stronger transatlantic alliance,” she also said.
“We know some in the administration have a harsher tone on these topics,” she conceded, without naming Trump or Vance.
But not all Europeans were impressed by the softer approach.
“In substance, nothing changes, Europe now has to become more independent and assume more responsibility, also in the security and defense area,” Austria’s Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger told POLITICO.
Similarly, although Democratic politicians in Munich acknowledged that Rubio’s speech signaled a change in tone, they questioned whether it would alter the substance of the transatlantic relationship.
“He was clearly trying to escape the vituperative ghost of J.D. Vance in seeking to be calming and reassuring, but it was so lacking in substance and specificity that in the end, its impact will be very limited,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said.
He added, “I don’t think the speech was about turning the page [after Greenland], but just getting over the moment, yeah, has given no signs that he’s backing down from the antagonism and hostility.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, the top Republican on the Senate NATO Observer Group, praised Rubio’s speech, saying it reinforced efforts to reassure allied leaders that NATO will endure.
“I thought it was great,” Tillis said. “We all know that that speech would not have been delivered if the White House hadn’t agreed with it. Yeah. So I think that’s not only a message from Marco, but it’s a message from the president.”
A dose of reality
Despite Rubio’s conciliatory message, his speech came a day after he skipped the “Berlin Format” meeting with European leaders on the war in Ukraine, a key point of contention between Europe and the Trump Administration.
At the same time, Trump continues to pressure Zelensky of Ukraine to accept a deal that could involve ceding significant portions of the country to Russia. Both European governments and Ukrainian officials have rejected such a proposal, arguing that it would not resolve the conflict but merely pause it, leaving the region’s future uncertain.
“Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” Zelensky said in a video address from Kyiv in December. He added that any decisions made without Ukraine “are at the same time decisions against peace” and called such measures “dead decisions; they will never work.”
Praise for NATO
At the conference, Rubio praised NATO, citing instances when U.S. and NATO troops fought and died alongside one another.
“We have fought against each other, then reconciled, then fought and reconciled again. And we have bled and died side-by-side on battlefields from Kapyong to Kandahar,” he added. “And I’m here today to make it clear that America is charting the path for a new century of prosperity, and that once again, we want to do it together with you, our cherished allies and our oldest friends.”
Rubio’s comments stood in contrast to recent comments made by Trump about America’s NATO allies. Since the turn of the year, Trump has repeatedly questioned NATO’s willingness to support the U.S.
“I DOUBT NATO WOULD BE THERE FOR US IF WE REALLY NEEDED THEM,” he blasted on Truth Social on Jan. 7. “We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us.”
In an interview with Fox in Davos, the President also asserted that while NATO allies sent troops to Afghanistan, they “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”