Rubio Reassures Trans-atlantic Ties With Europe At Munich Security Conference - Beritaja

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves, adjacent to Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Ischinger, arsenic he gets a opinionated ovation aft his reside astatine the Munich Security Conference successful Munich, Germany, connected Saturday. Alex Brandon/AP

Alex Brandon/AP

MUNICH — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a calm and reassuring connection to America's friends connected Saturday, striking a acold little fierce but still patient reside about the Trump administration's intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic confederation aft much than a twelvemonth of President Donald Trump's often-hostile rhetoric toward accepted allies.

Reminding his assemblage astatine the yearly Munich Security Conference about America's centuries-long roots successful Europe, Rubio said the United States would stay everlastingly tied to the continent moreover arsenic it pushes for changes successful the narration and the world institutions that person been the bulwark of the post-World War II world order.

Rubio addressed the convention a twelvemonth aft Vice President JD Vance stunned the aforesaid assemblage pinch a harsh critique of European values. A bid of statements and moves from the Trump management targeting friends followed, including Trump's short-lived threat past period to enforce caller tariffs connected respective European countries successful a bid to unafraid U.S. power of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO state Denmark.

On Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz opened this year's gathering by calling for the United States and Europe to "repair and revive trans-Atlantic spot together," saying that moreover the U.S. isn't powerful capable to spell it unsocial successful an world whose aged bid nary longer exists. He made clear that Europe will guidelines by its attack to free reside and ambiance change, and rejects a "culture war" and protectionism.

Rubio based on that the "euphoria" of the Western triumph successful the Cold War led to a "dangerous wishful thinking that we had entered 'the extremity of history,' that each federation would now beryllium a wide democracy, that the ties formed by waste and acquisition and by commerce unsocial would now switch nationhood ... and that we would now unrecorded successful a world without borders wherever everyone became a national of the world."

"We made these mistakes together and now together we beryllium it to our group to look those facts and to move guardant to rebuild," Rubio said. He said that, nether Trump, the U.S. "will erstwhile again return connected the task of renewal and restoration."

"This is why we Americans whitethorn sometimes travel disconnected arsenic a small nonstop and urgent successful our counsel," he said. "This is why President Trump demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends present successful Europe."

"In a clip of headlines heralding the extremity of the trans-Atlantic era, fto it beryllium known and clear to each that this is neither our extremity nor our wish," Rubio said. "Because for america Americans, our location whitethorn beryllium successful the Western hemisphere, but we will ever beryllium a kid of Europe."

"We person fought against each other, past reconciled, past fought and reconciled again. And we person bled and died side-by-side connected battlefields from Kapyong to Kandahar," Rubio said. "And I'm present coming to make it clear that America is charting the way for a caller period of prosperity. and that erstwhile again, we want to do it together pinch you, our cherished friends and our oldest friends."

Rubio said that the United Nations "still has tremendous potential" but that, connected today's about pressing matters, "it has nary answers and has played virtually nary role."

Speaking straight aft Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi offered a contrasting view.

"The main logic for the inadequacy of the existent world strategy is not the United Nations itself, but the truth that immoderate countries magnify differences, prosecute nationalist priorities ... and moreover revive the Cold War mentality," he argued. "All these person undermined the ground of trust, worsened the ambiance of cooperation, and made the cognition of world mechanisms difficult."