CloseUS secretary of state Marco Rubio told the Munich Security Conference that the US has “no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline.”
The US Secretary of State hit out at a “dangerous delusion” that every country has followed the international rules-based order and freed trade since the end of the Cold War, and criticised the “overused” phrase “the end of history”.
He said: “We want allies who can defend themselves, so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength.
“This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt and shame.”
Mr Rubio acknowledged that “we made these mistakes together, and now together, we owe it to our people to face those facts and to move forward to rebuild”.
European leaders have also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss efforts to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia as the four-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion nears.
The Ukrainian president, meanwhile, agreed to hold elections if Donald Trump managed to push Vladimir Putin to a ceasefire.
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Analysis: Rubio gave a more respectful speech than JD Vance – but the motifs remained the same
Analysis by Sam Kiley in Kyiv:
Marco Rubio gave a rallying cry for western unity and an alliance to resist “civilisational erasure” as Europe pivots away from American leadership at the Munich Security Conference.
He drew a standing ovation after insisting that the shared colours and heritage of the old and new worlds were intrinsic to the future security of the western hemisphere. But there was a string sense image the applause he got was for not being JD Vance, the US vice president.
Donald Trump’s Secretary of State gave a more respectful and nuanced apparently pro-European speech compared to the vulgarity and disrespect shown by Vance in the same forum last year.
But the motifs remained the same. America can do this alone, it doesn’t want to but it can and will – if necessary. Colonialism has a bad rap. The West must stand together to fight off waves of immigration to will wipe it out. Climate change is a cult and the UN is useless.
None of these views is shared by any government in Europe, save Hungary, share these views which are, however, high on the agenda of the region’s far right populist parties.
Immigration is an urgent threat to the fabric of our societies and survival of our civilisation itself, he said.
Signing up to more of a future led my America quills mean accepting Trump’s view of the world in which international law was subordinated to national agendas and he warned “we are prepared to do this alone”.
Dan Haygarth14 February 2026 09:05
What to expect from Munich today
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has finished his address. Tony Blair is also speaking at the conference this morning.
He will be followed by Sir Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen. Sir Keir is expected to speak after 9am.
In his speech to the summit, the Prime Minister will call for a more European defence alliance and greater autonomy for the continent.
Sir Keir will say that this should be underpinned by stronger ties between Britain and the EU.
He is expected to say: “We are not the Britain of the Brexit years anymore.
“Because we know that, in dangerous times, we would not take control by turning inward – we would surrender it. And I won’t let that happen.
“There is no British security without Europe, and no European security without Britain. That is the lesson of history – and it is today’s reality too.”
Volodymyr Zelensky and Mark Rutte are expected to speak at 11:45am.
Dan Haygarth14 February 2026 09:02
Marco Rubio warns European leaders against ‘malaise of hopelessness and complacency’ in wide-ranging attack in Munich
Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Rubio has used his speech in Munich to issue a warning to European leaders on defence, welfare, climate change and a host other issues.
As he told them America had no interest in being caretakers of the West’s managed decline, he also hit out at what he said was a “malaise of hopelessness and complacency”.
He criticised countries he said had not spent enough on defence, had spent too much on welfare, had appeased a climate 'cult' to their own economic detriment, had allowed too much immigration and had not defended their history.
He also warned that decline was a “choice” that previous Western leaders had refused to make.
Last year US vice-president JD Vance stunned delegates in Munich by warning Europe the greatest peril facing the continent was not Russia or China but “the threat from within”.
Rubio’s message may have been draped in more diplomatic language, but it was equally designed to make Europe sit up and take notice.
Dan Haygarth14 February 2026 08:58
Keir Starmer to speak at 9am
Europe must relinquish its overdependence on the United States, Sir Keir Starmer is to tell the summit grappling with antagonism from President Donald Trump.
The Prime Minister will also argue for the UK to move closer to the European Union, saying turning inwards such as in the Brexit years would amount to a “surrender” of control in a perilous era for geopolitics.
He will address the room at 9am.
Dan Haygarth14 February 2026 08:50
'The fate of Europe will never be irrelevant to our own'
“We want Europe to be strong”, Mr Rubio told the conference.
“We believe that Europe must survive because the two great wars of the last century serve for us as history’s constant reminder that, ultimately, our destiny is and will always be intertwined with yours.
“Because we know that the fate of Europe will never be irrelevant to our own.”
Dan Haygarth14 February 2026 08:42
Rubio said he does not want Europe to be 'weak'
Rubio told the conference: “We do not want our allies to be weak, because that makes us weaker.
“We want allies who can defend themselves, so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength. This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt and shame.
“We want allies who are proud of their culture and of their heritage, who understand that we are heirs to the same great and noble civilisation, and who together with us are willing and able to defend it.
“And this is why we do not want allies to rationalise the broken status quo, rather than reckon with what is necessary to fix it. For we in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline.
“We do not seek to separate but to revitalise an old friendship and renew the greatest civilisation in human history.”
Daniel Haygarth14 February 2026 08:39
Rubio: UN has 'no answers to most pressing matters'
Dan Haygarth14 February 2026 08:33
Rubio: 'We made these mistakes together'
Mr Rubio acknowledged that “we made these mistakes together, and now together, we owe it to our people to face those facts and to move forward to rebuild”.
He added: “Under President Trump, the United States of America will once again take on the task of renewal and restoration, driven by a vision of a future as proud, as sovereign and as vital as our civilization’s past.
“And while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference, and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe.”
Dan Haygarth14 February 2026 08:28
Rubio warns against 'managed decline of the west'
The US Secretary of State hit out at a “dangerous delusion” that every country has followed the international rules-based order and freed trade since the end of the Cold War, and criticised the “overused” phrase “the end of history”.
Rubio said that “decline is a choice”, adding: “For we in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the west’s managed decline.”
He tells the conference: “We do not want our allies to be weak, because that makes us weaker.
“We want allies who can defend themselves, so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength.
“This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt and shame.”
Dan Haygarth14 February 2026 08:25
Rubio warns leaders at Munich they need to ‘build a new Western century’
Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Rubio has warned at the Munich Security Conference that European leaders need to join with the US to “build a new Western century”.
He hit out at countries which he said had allowed mass migration and a climate change “cult” to affect their economic and defence capabilities.
He also called on global institutions like the UN to be reformed and rebuilt, saying they could not could not solve the war in Gaza or Ukraine.
