Rubio calls for U.S. and Europe to "revitalize an old friendship"

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Munich —Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a connection of reassurance successful remarks astatine the Munich Security Conference, calming immoderate fears that months of crisp U.S. rhetoric and argumentation disputes had opened a lasting breach betwixt Washington and its European allies.

"We bash not question to separate, but to revitalize an aged relationship and renew the top civilization successful quality history," helium said.

Though helium admonished European nations for prioritizing payment programs implicit self-defense and embracing migration policies that threatened their societal cohesion, helium framed his critique arsenic portion of a shared reckoning.

"We made these mistakes together, and present together, we beryllium it to our radical to look those facts and to determination guardant — to rebuild," helium said.

At past year's conference, Vice President JD Vance delivered a combative code that rattled European capitals and fueled fears of an accelerating trans-Atlantic split. In contrast, Rubio paired crisp disapproval of the post-Cold War bid with repeated affirmations of shared destiny.

He argued that postwar "euphoria" had led the West into a "dangerous delusion" of borderless globalization and overreliance connected planetary institutions.

"This was a foolish thought that ignored some quality quality and the lessons of 5,000 years of recorded quality history. It has outgo america dearly," helium said.

Still, Rubio paid homage to what helium described arsenic a civilizational enslaved betwixt the continents.

"In a clip of headlines heralding the extremity of the transatlantic era, fto it beryllium known and wide to each that it is neither our extremity nor our wish," Rubio said. "For america Americans, our location whitethorn beryllium successful the Western Hemisphere, but we volition ever beryllium a kid of Europe."

The code drew a lasting ovation. Conference seat Wolfgang Ischinger said afterward that the remarks were wide seen arsenic reassuring.

"Mr. Secretary, I'm not definite you heard the suspiration of alleviation done this hall," helium told Rubio.

In a little question-and-answer session, Rubio said efforts to broker an extremity to Russia's warfare successful Ukraine were continuing, with another circular of talks expected Tuesday.

"We don't cognize if the Russians are superior astir ending the war; they accidental they are," helium said. "We're going to proceed to trial it."

On China, Rubio said Washington has "an work to communicate" with Beijing, adjacent arsenic "fundamental challenges" remain, and stressed that immoderate engagement indispensable support U.S. nationalist interests.

Since arriving successful Munich, Rubio has met with elder European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, arsenic good arsenic officials from Denmark, Greenland, Poland, Croatia and Moldova. He besides met with elder Syrian officials to sermon preserving a ceasefire and protecting number communities, according to the State Department.

A U.S. authoritative said Rubio did not be 1 gathering connected Ukraine enactment owed to scheduling conflicts, though helium is expected to conscionable concisely connected Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

After Munich, Rubio is acceptable to question to Bratislava and Budapest, wherever helium is expected to conscionable Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Europeans reassured but not complacent

The president of the European Union's enforcement commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said Rubio's code was "very reassuring" but noted that "in the administration, immoderate person a harsher code connected these topics," according to the Associated Press.

In her code to the conference, she stressed that "Europe indispensable go much independent," including connected defense, and insisted upon "digital sovereignty" successful the continent's attack to hatred code connected societal media.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that "we shouldn't get successful the lukewarm bath of complacency," the Associated Press reported. He said the U.K. indispensable re-forge person ties with Europe to assistance the continent "stand connected our ain 2 feet" successful its ain defense, and said determination needs to beryllium concern that "moves america from overdependence to interdependence."

Shortly aft Rubio's remarks, the United Kingdom said it would nonstop its Carrier Strike Group, led by the largest warship successful the Royal Navy and including combatant jets, crossed the North Atlantic and Arctic. The deployment volition sojourn a U.S. port, and U.S. jets are expected to run from the platform of the warship, the HMS Prince of Wales. Defense Secretary John Healey said the deployment "will assistance marque Britain warfighting ready, boost our publication to NATO, and fortify our operations with cardinal allies, keeping the UK unafraid astatine location and beardown abroad."

The league pointed to tensions beyond those successful the trans-Atlantic alliance, the Associated Press reported.

Speaking aft Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing felt "gratified" that President Trump respects President Xi Jinping and China, but warned that immoderate voices successful the U.S. are leery of China's rise.

"We spot that immoderate forces and immoderate radical are inactive trying their champion to suppress and incorporate China, and are inactive attacking and slandering China by immoderate means," Wang said, according to the Associated Press.

He cautioned that "law of the jungle and unilateralism person taken hold" and said immoderate countries "even revive the Cold War mentality."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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