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United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has assured European leaders that Washington still values its historic alliance with Europe — but said future cooperation would need to reflect the global vision of President Donald Trump.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Rubio reminded his audience of the deep ties between both sides, describing America as “a child of Europe” and stressing that their destinies remain closely connected. He said the United States would prefer to shape the future alongside Europe rather than act alone.
“While we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, our hope is to do it together with our European friends,” Rubio said. He acknowledged that the US can sometimes sound blunt or urgent, but explained that it comes from genuine concern about Europe’s direction and its shared future with America.
His speech struck a softer tone compared to previous comments from some US officials. However, many observers noted that the partnership Rubio described would largely follow Trump’s priorities, rather than being a fully equal arrangement.
Rubio made it clear that Washington does not want to see a weakened Europe weighed down by what he called guilt or hesitation. Instead, he said the goal was to revive a powerful alliance.
“We don’t want to simply manage the West’s slow decline,” he said. “We want to renew our friendship and strengthen what remains one of the greatest civilisations in history.”
He also argued that both Europe and the United States had made mistakes in recent decades. According to him, these included relying too heavily on globalisation, spending more on welfare than defence, and embracing climate policies he criticised.
On immigration, Rubio defended stricter border controls, saying they were not about hostility but about protecting national sovereignty. He warned that failing to manage borders properly could create serious social and political challenges.
Rubio also called for reforms to global institutions rather than abandoning them completely. He suggested that under Trump’s leadership, the US had acted more decisively in international crises such as those in Gaza and Ukraine, while global organisations often struggled to respond effectively.
“In an ideal world, diplomacy alone would solve these problems,” Rubio said. “But reality is more complicated.”
Although Ukraine was not the main focus of his speech, Rubio said progress had been made in narrowing disagreements, even though difficult issues still remain.
He ended by encouraging European nations to move forward together with the United States under Trump’s approach.
“This is the path President Trump and America have chosen,” Rubio said. “And it is the path we invite Europe to join.”
