US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told European leaders that Washington wants to renew its alliance with the continent, but on terms aligned with President Donald Trump’s vision for a new global order.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Rubio described the United States as “a child of Europe” and said the two sides “belong together”. He offered what he called a renewed partnership, saying the US preferred to build a new world order alongside Europe rather than alone.
“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 acknowledged that Americans may appear direct and urgent but said this stemmed from deep concern about Europe’s future and the intertwined destinies of both continents.
The tone of the speech was seen as more conciliatory than previous remarks from senior US officials, though many observers noted that Rubio’s proposal did not amount to a partnership of equals. Instead, it reflected Trump’s priorities.
He said the US did not want a Europe that was weak or burdened by “guilt or shame”. “We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the west’s managed decline,” Rubio said. “We do not seek to separate, but to revitalise an old friendship and renew the greatest civilisation in human history.”
Rubio argued that both Europe and the US had made shared mistakes, including overreliance on globalisation, expanding welfare systems at the expense of defence, and what he described as adherence to a “climate cult”.
He said controlling national borders was not driven by hatred but was “a fundamental act of national sovereignty,” warning that failure to do so threatened social stability.
On global institutions, Rubio said reform, not dismantling, was needed. He suggested that under Trump’s leadership, the US had taken more decisive action in crises such as Gaza and Ukraine than multilateral bodies.
“In a perfect world, all of these problems and more would be solved by diplomats and strongly worded resolutions,” he said. “But we do not live in a perfect world.”
Although Rubio made only limited reference to Ukraine in his speech, he said discussions had narrowed differences between parties, even if the remaining issues were the most difficult.
He concluded by urging Europe to align with the US approach, saying: “This is the path that President Trump and the United States has embarked upon. It is the path we ask you here in Europe to join us on.”
