Why Rubio failed to repair the transatlantic rift

A moment of calm in relations between Europe and the US is a prelude to crises ahead.

- Gideon Rachman

Mr Marco Rubio’s speech to the Munich Security Conference on Feb 14 was met with a standing ovation by some in his audience.

So, have European leaders decided that all is forgiven and they now love the Trump administration?

Not at all. For the moment, it is in the interests of both Europe and the US to avoid fresh crises. That largely explains the emollient tone of the US Secretary of State’s speech and its warm reception inside the hall.

But the speeches made by European leaders in Munich — and conversations with their aides — make it clear that Mr Rubio has not healed the transatlantic rift. That rift is now set to widen and deepen - as European countries take steps to ready their defences against the Trump administration, in preparation for the crises to come.

A single speech cannot repair the damage done over the past year. US Vice-President J.D. Vance’s insulting and aggressive address to the 2025 Munich conference set the tone for a steady deterioration in transatlantic relations. President Donald Trump’s recent threats to annex Greenland sharpened the sense in Europe that the current US government is as much an adversary as an ally.

While Mr Rubio’s address was packed with cloying tributes to Michelangelo and the Beatles - as well as a curious nostalgia for European imperialism - its underlying message was not that different from Mr Vance’s. Mr Rubio’s appeal for a renewed partnership with Europe was very conditional — and the condition was that European leaders should embrace the blood-and-soil nationalism championed by the Make America Great Again movement.