Europe welcomes Rubio’s tone but vows to stay more independent
European leaders have broadly welcomed the tone of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech on transatlantic ties at the Munich Security Conference, but many say it will not change their push for a more autonomous Europe. In his keynote address, Rubio described the United States as the “offspring of Europe” and called for unity with allies while also criticising them on issues such as defence spending and global governance. A senior French minister said Rubio’s recognition of shared history and common values was positive, but stressed that Europe would still pursue a stronger and more independent role in security and foreign policy. He noted that European countries have heard similar messages from past US administrations and that their long term goal remains to build a resilient, self reliant Europe inside a strong NATO. Another European foreign minister said Rubio’s […]