Rubio's speech to European allies takes softer tone but sticks to Trump's firm stance
MUNICH (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a reassuring message to Americas allies on Saturday, striking a less aggressive but still firm tone about the administrations intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and push its priorities after more than a year of President Donald Trumps often-hostile rhetoric toward traditional allies.
Reminding his audience at the annual Munich Security Conference about Americas centuries-long roots in Europe, Rubio said the United States would remain forever tied to the continent even as it pushes for changes in the relationship and the international institutions that have been the bulwark of the post-World War II world order.
Rubio addressed the conference a year after Vice President JD Vance stunned the same audience with a harsh critique of European values. A series of statements and moves from the Trump administration targeting allies followed, including Trumps short-lived threat last month to impose new tariffs on several European countries in a bid to secure U.S. control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.
https://apnews.com/article/munich-security-conference-rubio-4a26cfa8ebb54643be98405e896433d1