US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Europe to change so that it can defend itself in the future. The US does not want “weak allies“, he told the Munich Security Conference.
Amid the transatlantic crisis, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the US commitment to a close partnership with Europe: “We are one. Our destiny is closely intertwined with yours“, Rubio told the Munich Security Conference (MSC). “We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive.” The US is aware "that the fate of Europe will never be irrelevant to our own," he said.
"Europe must be able to defend itself"
The US does not want the transatlantic relationship to end. This is "neither the goal nor the desire" of the US, the US Secretary of State assured the US. But Europe must be able to defend itself in the future, he said. "We do not want our allies to be weak, because that makes us weak," he said.
Washington does not want a rupture in relations
"We do not want a separation, but rather to revive an old friendship," Rubio stressed, referring to the Europeans. "What we want is a revived union." The US government wants to follow the path of progress and prosperity "with a Europe that is proud of its heritage and history (...), that is capable of defending itself and has the will to survive", Marco Rubio also pointed out.
"Allies should not be paralyzed by fear of climate change, technology and war. Instead, we want allies who look boldly to the future", said the US Secretary of State.
US insists on UN reform
The Foreign Minister questions the effectiveness of the UN in resolving international conflicts. "The UN still has enormous potential to do good in the world", Marco Rubio said in Munich. But according to him, the UN has no answers and has played virtually no role in solving the global challenges facing the modern world. The global institutions of the “old order“ should not be abolished, but reformed, he assured.
Rubio: "Climate Cult"
The first American diplomat also pointed out the "big mistakes" that, in his opinion, have been made in recent decades. Rubio spoke of a "climate cult" that has led to a wrong energy policy. In the pursuit of a world without borders, "our doors were opened to an unprecedented wave of mass migration", he said and reiterated his government's position on migration policy. "We opened our doors to mass migration, which threatened the existence of our culture and peoples", he said.
Last year, US Vice President J.D. Vance harshly criticized Germany and Europe - including for restricting freedom of speech. His speech then caused a real shock among the European allies of the United States.
"Now Marco Rubio left the impression that he expressed the same thing that J.D. Vance said a year ago, but in much kinder words - namely: the United States and Europe have different views on things," commented ARD.