European leaders on Friday called for a reset in relations with the US as they met at a top security conference where US President Donald Trump’s potshots at traditional transatlantic ties loomed large.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged “a new transatlantic partnership” and French President Emmanuel Macron called for “a strong Europe” as more than 60 leaders gathered for the annual Munich Security Conference.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was to tell the conference yesterday that Europe is “a sleeping giant” and must rely less on the US for its defense, his office said in a preview of his remarks.
Photo: EPA
This year’s conference comes at a time of strained ties between Europe and the US, after Trump threatened to take over Greenland and criticized “decaying” and “weak” European nations.
Russia’s war against Ukraine, set to enter its fifth year this month, is high on the agenda, alongside efforts by European NATO members to raise their defense budgets, in line with Trump’s demands, out of concern that Moscow could seek to expand into their territory.
European leaders at the gathering defended their security commitments and the NATO alliance, which Trump’s rhetoric has rattled.
“Being a part of NATO is not only Europe’s competitive advantage. It’s also the United States’ competitive advantage. So let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together,” Merz said. “In the era of great-power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone.”
The gathering comes a year after US Vice President J.D. Vance used the conference’s stage to attack European policies on immigration and free speech, shocking allies on the continent.
Macron emphatically defended Europe in his speech, saying that “everyone should take their cue from us, instead of criticizing us.”
Starmer’s office said his speech would call for “a vision of European security and greater European autonomy that does not herald US withdrawal but answers the call for more burden sharing in full and remakes the ties that have served us so well.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived on Friday, was also due to speak at the gathering yesterday.
A German government source said Merz and Rubio had met at the conference and discussed “Ukraine, the status of negotiations with Russia and further support for the country, particularly in terms of military aid.”
They also discussed Iran and NATO, and “Rubio praised Germany’s steps to strengthen the alliance,” the source added.
Rubio also met Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) on the sidelines of the conference, at a time of heightened Washington-Beijing tensions.
They agreed to strengthen cooperation, and Wang told Rubio that “dialogue is better than confrontation, cooperation is better than conflict, and win-win outcomes are better than zero-sum games,” according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Rubio held a 15-minute meeting with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland about the future sovereignty of the Arctic island. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the talks “constructive.”
Ties plunged last month when Trump stepped up threats to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, forcing European nations to stand firm in protest.
Merz, Macron and the leaders of the EU, Canada and NATO met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday for talks on Ukraine.
A US official said Rubio did not attend those talks due to a packed schedule, but was “engaging on Russia-Ukraine in many of his meetings” in Munich.
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said he discussed ending the Russian invasion with Wang, whose country is a close partner of Moscow.
Wang told Sybiha that Beijing was “willing to provide Ukraine with new humanitarian aid,” according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout.
Meanwhile, Macron said a new framework was needed to deal with “an aggressive Russia” once the fighting in Ukraine ends.
“If it makes sense to talk, we are willing to talk,” Merz said. “But as you can see with the American side, Russia is not yet willing to talk seriously.”
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