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Rubio reassures Europe, urges defence

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At the Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure European allies with a conciliatory speech, prompting relief but calls for greater EU defence autonomy.

by Scott Lucas

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scottlucas.bsky.social
At #MunichSecurityConference, EU foreign policy head #Kallas and #Latvia President Rinkēvičs push back #Zelensky call for specific date for #Ukraine accession to #EU

"The member states are not ready to give a concrete date. There’s a lot of work to be done"

#UkraineWar
February 15, 2026 at 10:35 AM

by Scott Lucas

44%
scottlucas.bsky.social
EA on TVP World: The #MunichSecurityConference and
#Trump Threat to Europe

eaworldview.com/2026/02/ea-o...
EA on TVP World: The Munich Security Conference and Trump's Threat to Europe - EA WorldView
13-minute evaluation of speeches and maneuvers at Munich Security Conference, amid Trump Administration's threat to Europe and its security
eaworldview.com
February 15, 2026 at 10:29 AM

Reposted by Francesco Nicoli

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maks23.bsky.social
🇩🇪🇺🇦 Our lesson for today should be this: we cannot afford another "paper tiger" like Budapest Memorandum. To provide reliable and real security guarantees, all of us - Europeans and Americans - must do our part. Europe and Germany are ready to play their part, — Boris Pistorius.
February 15, 2026 at 10:20 AM

by Scott Lucas

44%
scottlucas.bsky.social
Analyzing how #Trump camp, rejecting alliance, trying to break up #EU and undermine govts in favor of “white nationalist” movements

Contrasting #MunichSecurityConference speeches of #Merz and #Rubio

Challenging Trumpist Chet Love over his polemic and listening to Beijing-based analyst Einar Tangen
February 15, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Die Zeit
Munich Security Conference: EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kallas Rejects US Criticism of Europe

Kaja Kallas expressed disbelief at the US criticism of press freedom in Europe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio apparently directed his speech at American voters.

Munich Security Conference: EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kallas Rejects US Criticism of Europe
Reposts 1 2h
Die Zeit
Munich Security Conference: EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kallas Rejects US Criticism of Europe

Kaja Kallas expressed disbelief at the US criticism of press freedom in Europe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio apparently directed his speech at American voters.

Munich Security Conference: EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kallas Rejects US Criticism of Europe
Reposts 1 2h
Der Standard
Once the Americans Warned of the Russian Threat. Now, It’s the Europeans’ Turn.

In Munich, European leaders were also talking about "de-risking" from the United States, citing President Trump’s unpredictability.

Once the Americans Warned of the Russian Threat. Now, It’s the Europeans’ Turn.
Reposts 0 2h
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The Secretary of State in Munich: Marco Rubio, the historian

For his speech at the security conference, Marco Rubio received polite applause after he had called the U.S. a 'Child of Europe.' Rubio's oversimplified view of transatlantic relations should still worry Europe.

The Secretary of State in Munich: Marco Rubio, the historian
Reposts 1 3h

by Henry Gao

39%

by Scott Lucas

44%
scottlucas.bsky.social
#Zelensky also calls for clear date for #Ukraine accession to #EU

Presses leaders: "Are you ready not only for the challenges that Russian aggression brings, but also for the effort to convince the world to fight for support?"

Meets US Sec of State #Rubio & #Trump envoy #Witkoff & #Kushner
February 15, 2026 at 7:13 AM
Público
Three meetings on the future of Europe

This time it was Marco Rubio's turn to go to Munich to calm the nerves. He said the right lines to reassure Europeans about the relationship with the United States, which are, after all, their own children. Opinion by Teresa de Sousa

Reposts 0 5h

Reposted by François Heisbourg

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reuters.com
Rubio to visit eastern Europe, bolster ties with pro-Trump leaders reut.rs/3Mw64l2
Rubio to visit eastern Europe, bolster ties with pro-Trump leaders
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to begin a two-day trip on Sunday, to bolster ties with Slovakia and Hungary, whose conservative leaders, often at odds with other European Union countries, have warm ties with President Donald Trump.
reut.rs
February 15, 2026 at 6:10 AM
Financial Times
‘The best we can hope for’: Rubio’s Munich unity appeal fails to woo Europe

US secretary of state sought to mollify but underlying message reinforced US administration’s talking points

‘The best we can hope for’: Rubio’s Munich unity appeal fails to woo Europe
Reposts 85 7h
ABC
Europe responds to Rubio with messages of strength and independence

Europe's response to Rubio's emotional speech has been led by Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, who congratulated him on the tone of his 'friend', very different from Vance. 'I am exactly in line with him: he wants a strong Europe as an ally to walk with, and that is exactly what we are working on,' Von der Leyen said. After the intervention of the U.S. secretary of state, Von der Leyen referred to her own speech at the Munich Security Conference, in which she called for valuing the EU's mutual defense clause included in Article 42.7 of the Treaty on the EU. 'I think the time has come to give life to Europe's mutual defense clause. Mutual defense is not an optional task for the EU (...). It is our collective commitment to support each other in case of aggression,' she argued. Von der Leyen proposes a new strategy of

Europe responds to Rubio with messages of strength and independence
Reposts 0 9h
ABC
Marco Rubio and the Gift of Time

European leaders have breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Marco Rubio's words in Munich. The secretary of state, and at the same time national security adviser, is a rising star in the U.S. administration, even more after the downfall of Nicolás Maduro's regime. Rubio has corrected the tone and messages of Vice President J. D. Vance at that same forum a year ago, when he embraced the theses of the European far right and defended the interests of large technology companies opposed to regulating the digital sphere. The Cuban-American politician has issued the same MAGA warnings about the danger of uncontrolled immigration and the mistake of trying to build a global liberal democracy. He has also downplayed the risks of climate change and the 'Made in USA' tech revolution. However, he stressed that the destinies of the two shores of the Atlantic are intertwined, has valued friendship and the shared spiritual heritage, and has reiterated the willingness to walk together. Even

Marco Rubio and the Gift of Time
Reposts 0 9h

by Alan Sked

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Reposted by Naomi Wolf

5%

by Jacob T. Levy

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jacobtlevy.bsky.social
New and fascinating from Bernard Harcourt.
bernardharcourt.bsky.social Bernard E. Harcourt @bernardharcourt.bsky.social · 11h
I just posted an essay on Marco Rubio’s speech this morning at the Munich Security Conference 2026. It is an extraordinary historical fabulation about Western civilization and needs to be dissected to get the full import of these Hegelian times. Read here: open.substack.com/pub/bernardh...
Marco Rubio’s Munich Putsch
Raising "Western Civilization" from the Ashes
open.substack.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:31 AM

by Bernard E. Harcourt Reposted by Jacob T. Levy

84%
bernardharcourt.bsky.social
I just posted an essay on Marco Rubio’s speech this morning at the Munich Security Conference 2026. It is an extraordinary historical fabulation about Western civilization and needs to be dissected to get the full import of these Hegelian times. Read here: open.substack.com/pub/bernardh...
Marco Rubio’s Munich Putsch
Raising "Western Civilization" from the Ashes
open.substack.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:26 AM
La Repubblica
Rubio opens up to Europe, then sets the conditions: "Correct the mistakes"

The U.S. secretary of state tries to limit the rupture with the allies; there is relief in the audience, but the Germans warn: "Stop lecturing"

Reposts 0 12h
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