US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's speech at the Munich Security Conference was received rather coolly by some Europeans, the „Financial Times“ reported.
“This is not the reaction we expected“, a German diplomat told the newspaper. He noted that the speech focused more on domestic American issues than on issues of interest to Europeans. Another unnamed senior European official complained that it was a speech in the spirit of the „Make America Great Again“ (MAGA) movement, without any new insights. “Not a single mention of Russia, not a single mention of Ukraine“, the newspaper's source said.
“The Financial Times“ also quoted political scientist Pia Furtchopp of the Berlin-based Foundation for Science and Politics (SWP), who said that the speech seemed very polite at first glance, but was actually trying to draw Europe into a MAGA mentality. “It's a poisoned gift,” the expert said of the US Secretary of State's call for joint work.
Speaking at a conference in Munich, Rubio said that the US does not want weak allies who are unable to defend themselves, and that Washington wants a strong Europe.