The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, stated this Saturday (14) that the country is the “son of Europe” and highlighted the importance of the transatlantic partnership during a speech at the Munich Security Conference, in Germany. The speech sought to convey signs of unity after a year marked by tensions between Washington and European allies, amid changes in the global scenario.
Rubio said that the US does not want the “managed decline of the West” and declared that Americans and Europeans “belong together”, a phrase that received applause from the audience. Despite the conciliatory tone, the speech made few concrete promises and did not directly mention Russia, which raised doubts about possible changes in the North American government’s stance in relation to traditional alliances.
The European reaction was mixed: the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was “very reassured”, while other leaders expressed caution. The meeting was dominated by discussions about the war in Ukraine and the redesign of the world order. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he feared his country was frequently being pressured to make concessions in U.S.-brokered peace talks.
