Munich, Germany, Feb 14 (.) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday emphasised the enduring bonds between the United States and Europe and calling for a renewed Western alliance to confront global challenges.
“Today we gather as members of a historic alliance, an alliance that saved and changed the world,” Rubio said, referencing the conference’s origins in 1963 amid the Cold War. He recalled the Berlin Wall’s early years and the Cuban Missile Crisis as moments when Europe and America faced “a new global catastrophe- one more apocalyptic than anything before in human history.”
Rubio delivered a forceful address at the Munich Security Conference as he raised the post-war reconstruction of Europe and the eventual reunification of East and West, but warned that the optimism following the Cold War had led to strategic missteps. “We embraced a vision of free and unfettered trade, even as some nations protected their economies and subsidized their companies to systematically undercut ours,” he said.
He also criticized energy policies, mass migration, and reliance on international institutions at the expense of national sovereignty.
The Secretary positioned the Trump administration as poised to restore US strength and partnership with Europe. “Under President Trump, the United States of America will once again take on the task of renewal and restoration,” he said, stressing that America hopes to work with European allies “to rebuild our economies, secure our borders, and defend our shared civilization.”
Rubio highlighted the cultural and historical ties binding the U.S. and Europe. “We are part of one civilization, Western civilization. We are bound by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made together.” He also warned that national security is not just about defense spending or troop deployment but about protecting “a great civilization that has every reason to be proud of its history and confident of its future.”
He further urged transatlantic cooperation in emerging strategic arenas: “Commercial space travel and cutting-edge artificial intelligence; industrial automation and flexible manufacturing; creating a Western supply chain for critical minerals — together, we can not only take back control of our industries, we can prosper in the areas that will define the 21st century.”
Rubio also stressed the importance of national borders and sovereignty, framing controlled migration as “a fundamental act of national sovereignty” rather than xenophobia, and called for reform of global institutions, including the United Nations. “We do not live in a perfect world, and we cannot allow those who threaten our citizens to shield themselves behind abstractions of international law,” he said.
“Mass migration is not, was not, isn’t some fringe concern of little consequence. It was and continues to be a crisis which is transforming and destabilizing societies all across the West. Together we can reindustrialize our economies and rebuild our capacity to defend our people. But the work of this new alliance should not be focused just on military cooperation and reclaiming the industries of the past. It should also be focused on, together, advancing our mutual interests and new frontiers, unshackling our ingenuity, our creativity, and the dynamic spirit to build a new Western century. Commercial space travel and cutting-edge artificial intelligence; industrial automation and flex manufacturing; creating a Western supply chain for critical minerals not vulnerable to extortion from other powers; and a unified effort to compete for market share in the economies of the Global South,” he said.
Rubio, while addressing the media persons, addressed the war in Ukraine, cautioning that while some progress has been made in narrowing the issues to be resolved, “we don’t know if the Russians are serious about ending the war,” adding that sanctions and US military assistance to Ukraine continue.
On relations with China, Rubio underscored the need for careful diplomacy, saying, “Our national interests and China’s national interests will often not align… The goal of diplomacy is to try to navigate those times in which our national interests come into conflict, always hoping to do it peacefully.”
Rubio called for a “new Western century” anchored in shared heritage, economic independence, and military strength, pledging that America seeks “an alliance ready to defend our people, safeguard our interests, and preserve the freedom of action that allows us to shape our own destiny.”
” Together we can not only take back control of our own industries and supply chains – we can prosper in the areas that will define the 21st century, he said.
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