Rubio Works To Rebuild Trust Between US And Europe

In Munich, the applause did not dispel the unease. One year after the verbal attacks of 2025, the transatlantic relationship remains marked by distrust. Facing still wary European leaders, Marco Rubio tried to reaffirm the strength of the partnership between the United States and Europe. But behind the diplomatic formulas and historical references, one question remains: are words enough to compensate for political decisions that have permanently weakened trust?

Rubio tries to reassure after a year of tensions

In Munich, Marco Rubio spoke in a context still marked by the 2025 speech by JD Vance, who accused Europe of drifting away from common values, criticizing democracy management, migration, and freedom of expression. This precedent shaped the atmosphere in which Rubio spoke.

The main points of his intervention and European reactions can be summarized as follows :

• Rubio affirmed that the United States is not drifting away from Europe and wants to see it remain strong ;
• He recalled that the two world wars demonstrate that American and European destinies are linked ;
• Johann Wadephul indicated that Rubio reassured leaders about maintaining the partnership while acknowledging “issues to resolve” ;
• A European minister stated that Rubio is “the most reassuring figure of this administration”, while adding that “the transatlantic partnership has lost some of its strength” ;
• Another official considered : “when a bond breaks, it is complicated to restore it”, recognizing that Rubio extended a hand rather than launching an attack.

These statements reflect a nuanced diplomatic reality: the tone has changed compared to 2025, but trust is not fully restored. Several officials even judged that last year’s aggressive speech had the merit of clarifying fault lines, while Rubio’s more measured approach makes disagreements less visible without resolving them.

Ukraine, Greenland, and Central Europe: decisions that raise questions

Beyond the words spoken in Munich, some concrete facts caught attention. Marco Rubio notably missed an expected meeting with European leaders dedicated to Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte defended this absence by explaining that Rubio had other global responsibilities and that the United States manages global commitments, not only European ones.

The conference also took place a few weeks after Donald Trump, the 47^th president elected in 2024, threatened to use military action to seize Greenland, a Danish territory and NATO member, before retracting that statement.

This episode adds to the tariffs imposed on European countries last year and Trump’s visible support for eurosceptic candidates in recent elections in the European Union. A European diplomat specified that Rubio’s real message was also read in his agenda, citing his visit to Slovakia and then Hungary, two governments regularly in tension with Brussels.

In this climate of persistent tensions, any lasting weakening of the transatlantic link would be closely watched by other powers. Looser coordination between Washington and Europe could indirectly strengthen the influence of the BRICS alliance, which seeks to increase its economic and diplomatic weight on the international stage, in a context of global geopolitical reshuffling.

In Munich, words contained the tension without dispelling doubts. Between American gestures of appeasement and European caution, the transatlantic relationship enters a phase of strategic adjustment. It remains to be seen whether future actions will confirm the speech, at a time when European anti-coercion asserts itself as a central lever in redefining the balance of power.