US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a keynote speech at Europe's biggest security and defence conference in Munich, addressing concerns about the US-Europe alliance.
The conference, attended by world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, focused on the future of transatlantic relations.
Rubio's speech initially sparked concerns as he criticized Europe's policies on free trade, mass migration, and climate change, but he later affirmed the importance of the US-Europe alliance, stating that "our destiny will always be intertwined with yours."
Response to the Speech
The audience reaction was broadly positive, with about half of the attendees standing up to applaud Rubio at the end of his speech.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, described the speech as "good" and expressed relief that the transatlantic alliance remains strong, despite acknowledging differences in policy between Washington and Europe.
Key Takeaways
Rubio emphasized the need for Europe to shoulder more of the burden for its own defence, a point of agreement between Washington and Europe.
However, some attendees expressed quiet exasperation at the US refusal to put enough pressure on Russia to end the Ukraine war, which is poised to enter its fifth year.
