U.S. and European interests are ‘intertwined,’ Secretary of State Rubio says

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that the United States does not intend to abandon its deep alliance with Europe and wants the region to succeed.

“We care deeply about your future and our future,” Rubio told the Munich Security Conference.

He added: “We want Europe to be strong.” “We believe that Europe must survive, because the two great wars of the last century were for us a great historical reminder that our fate is ultimately, and always will be, intertwined with yours.”

American President Donald Trump Often Europe criticized Because of its excessive dependence on the United States for its security, it prompted NATO allies to increase defense spending. His quest for ownership GreenlandIt is a Danish region, which has raised concerns among European leaders in recent months.

“We do not need to abandon the system of international cooperation that we created, nor do we need to dismantle the old order global institutions that we built together. But they must be reformed. They must be rebuilt.” Rubio said.

The chief American diplomat told the gathering of European leaders that the American leadership succeeded in resolving thorny issues such as the conflict between Israel and Gaza and made progress in ending Russia’s war with Ukraine, which multilateral organizations, including the United Nations, have failed to achieve so far.

“The United Nations still has tremendous potential to be an instrument for good in the world, but we cannot ignore that today, on the most pressing issues before us, it has no answers and has played almost no role. It has not been able to resolve the war in Gaza,” Rubio said. “Instead, it was the American leadership that freed captives from the barbarians and achieved a fragile truce. The war in Ukraine was not resolved.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky He expressed his gratitude to the United States for its assistance in Ukraine’s war against Russia.

“I am grateful to every American heart that helped us no matter what. Thank you. Without you, Americans, Europeans and everyone who stands with us, it would have been very difficult to hold on,” Zelensky said to applause.

But he criticized Trump’s predecessor’s administration for being slow to increase military aid to Ukraine.

Zelensky also had harsh words for the Iranian government, which he accused of supplying the drones that Russia uses to attack Ukrainian territory.

“Ukraine has no borders with Iran and we have never had a conflict of interest with the Iranian regime,” Zelensky said. “But the Iranian Shahed drones they sold to Russia are killing, in particular, our people and Ukrainians and destroying our infrastructure.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking alongside Zelensky, urged member states to step up military support for Ukraine under the alliance’s Priority Requirements for Ukraine List (PURL) initiative.

“Keep (Ukraine) strong in the fight. They will do that, but they need our support.” Ruti said.

“The lesson is that appeasement always leads to new wars,” Callas told CNBC. interview. “That’s pretty clear. If you think so, well, let them have these lands… We’ll have a peace that will never work. It actually increases the appetite. They walk away with more lands, more valuables, than they had before.”

Also speaking to CNBC on Friday before the conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, the organization’s president, said it was “Europe’s goal.”Special error“Its power on the world stage has diminished.

“Europe has failed to speak with one voice to and about China, and Europe has failed with one voice to reach a clear concept about the future of the Middle East, including how to deal or not to deal with the Iranian nuclear issue,” said Ischinger, a former German ambassador to the United States.

Earlier this week, the Maritime Safety Commission published its 2026 report, for which Ischinger wrote the introduction. “The world has entered a period of wrecking ball politics,” he warned, where “massive destruction…is the order of the day.”

The report said that Trump was “at the forefront of those who promised to liberate their countries from the constraints of the current system and rebuild stronger, more prosperous countries,” claiming that he was just one movement “driven by resentment and remorse over the liberal path their societies had taken.”

Ischinger said the Europeans were “completely on the sidelines” regarding negotiations over Gaza and Ukraine.