When america secretary of state, Marco Rubio, delivered a speech at Europe’s greatest safety convention within the German town of Munich on February 14, leaders from around the continent had been relieved via its content material. By contrast to the former yr, when US vice-president J.D. Vance had introduced a scathing assault on Eu-style democracy, Rubio’s tone was once way more pleasant and conciliatory.
He described america as a “child of Europe”, assuring Eu leaders that his nation was once intent on development a brand new global order in conjunction with what he known as “our cherished allies and our oldest friends”. The president of the Eu Fee, Ursula von der Leyen, stated she was once “very much reassured” via those remarks.
Then again, Rubio additionally repeated a number of of the Trump management’s acquainted criticisms of Europe’s solution to immigration and local weather motion, cautioning that america is ready to chart its new trail on my own. And whilst he claimed his nation needs to reinvigorate the transtlantic alliance, Rubio puzzled Europe’s will and capability to take action.
The speech underscored the stability Rubio will have to strike between aligning himself with the political priorities of Donald Trump and reassuring Eu companions. In contrast to a lot of the Trump management, the secretary of state understands that america must be extra diplomatic with Europe to reach its international coverage targets.
Vance’s 2025 speech to the Munich Safety Convention was once extensively criticised via Eu leaders.
Ronald Wittek / EPA
This isn’t the case with Vance. 365 days in the past, he chastised Europe for its migration insurance policies and accused its governments of suppressing unfastened speech and populist events. He claimed that the best risk to Europe’s safety got here “from within”, slightly than Russia. In line with Vance, Europe had turn into too politically proper, leaving behind basic values within the procedure.
Vance’s speech got here as a surprise to Eu leaders within the target market. They weren’t totally ready for any such blistering assault, having idea he would center of attention his cope with in large part at the battle in Ukraine. The speech drew reward from Moscow, together with from former Russian president and high minister Dmitry Medvedev, and precipitated a yr of turmoil in transatlantic family members.
In his speech, Vance echoed Trump’s view of Europe – nevertheless it’s a view that fits his personal. The vice-president hasn’t ever actually revered Europe. This was once made transparent in a chain of leaked messages between Vance and different US nationwide safety officers in March 2025.
When Vance mentioned plans for an army strike towards Houthi forces in Yemen, which he famous posed a bigger risk to Eu delivery than American industry, he lamented: “I hate bailing out Europe again.” Despite the fact that he wrote in his 2016 memoir that visiting the United Kingdom was once a adolescence dream, Vance had turn into a Euro sceptic.
This contrasts with Rubio, who has historically been a robust supporter of Europe and the transatlantic alliance. Despite the fact that ideologically hawkish in international coverage, he hasn’t ever been an isolationist – and has persistently sponsored conventional collective safety establishments equivalent to Nato.
In 2015, Rubio declared that america will have to make a difficult reaction to any Russian aggression towards its Nato best friend Turkey. And in 2019, he was once a part of a bi-partisan effort to stop any US president from leaving the Nato alliance. He stated: “It is critical to our national security and the security of our allies in Europe that the United States remain engaged and play an active role in Nato.”
This stance to begin with put Rubio at odds with Trump. However after Trump’s election defeat in 2020, Rubio recalibrated and slowly received his agree with. And because coming into Trump’s interior circle, he has thrived. Rubio now serves because the president’s nationwide safety marketing consultant in addition to secretary of state, and has received super affect in international affairs.
Rubio has turn into the Trump management’s maximum senior diplomat.
Aaron Schwartz / EPA
Rubio’s refined stability
To realize such a lot energy, Rubio has needed to be ideologically versatile. In Latin The united states, the place his hardline stance towards socialist regimes strongly aligns with Trump’s international coverage targets, Rubio is within the driving force’s seat and has in large part decided what america’s pursuits are. This has incorporated urgent for the ouster of Venezuelan chief Nicolás Maduro, taking a difficult stance on Cuba, and pressuring Panama to push out Chinese language affect.
However out of doors of Latin The united states, Rubio has followed a extra measured communique genre. He has engaged in injury keep an eye on whilst in the long run clarifying and reinforcing Trump’s positions.
Trump prefers an international the place america acts unilaterally and ignores the rules-based world order. This has been illustrated via america assaults on Iranian nuclear websites in 2025, in addition to the newer seize of Maduro and threats to take keep an eye on of Greenland from Denmark.
Rubio attempted to defuse tensions with Denmark in January, claiming america simply sought after to buy Greenland slightly than interfere militarily. He has additionally toned down his hawkishness on Russia, a rustic Trump has sought to forge nearer family members with. In 2016, Rubio had mentioned that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, posed the most important risk to international safety.
As not too long ago as 2024, Rubio praised the bravery of Ukrainians of their battle towards Russia. However in his Munich cope with, he slightly discussed Ukraine, on which Trump has been making use of drive to finish the battle. Rubio additionally didn’t seem at a meeting with Eu allies in an instant earlier than the convention to talk about the war in Ukraine, claiming there was once a scheduling factor.
Later, he reportedly presented Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky some assurances of US dedication. In spite of additionally caution that Ukraine would wish to settle for onerous concessions to finish the battle, this was once an growth from Vance’s previous wondering of why america was once spending tens of millions of bucks protecting a “few miles of territory”.
In the long run, whilst Rubio’s speech in Munich was once much less divisive and stunning than Vance’s a yr previous, it does no longer resemble any vital exchange in US international coverage beneath Trump. America has some shared pursuits with Europe, however no longer shared values.
