Here's the latest
• Rubio’s speech: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US and Europe “belong together” during his remarks at the Munich Security Conference. The tone of his speech stood in stark contrast to the one delivered last year at the summit by US Vice President JD Vance.
• New world order: Rubio also made clear the Trump administration believes the path forward requires a shift in how the US-European alliance works together, adding: “We want allies who can defend themselves so no adversaries will feel inclined to challenge our collective strength.”
• Zelensky plea: Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the summit his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin cannot live without war, calling on President Donald Trump and the US Congress for “real security guarantees before the end of the war” in Ukraine.
• Also on hand: More than 50 members of Congress and other US dignitaries are in Munich, including prominent Democrats who have sought to outline their own foreign policy visions.
Europeans still stunned by Greenland crisis respond to Rubio with nervous relief
It was not a mauling, rather a cautious, reticent embrace.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was sure to strike a different tone to US Vice President JD Vance’s broadly false desecration of Europe’s culture and values last year. He twice got applause when he evoked Europe and the US’ shared histories - calling America Europe’s “child,” and saying their fates were “intertwined”.
But make no mistake, it was still a stark message, and it carried the warning that the Trump administration would “go it alone” unless Europe shared its values.
Those values – Christianity, spirituality, losing “shame” over heritage, closing borders to prevent “civilisational erasure” – adhere far more closely to the politics of the far-right populists of Europe’s opposition than to those of the leaders representing the UK, Germany and France here.
Rubio was essentially saying a rebuilt future – where they forge a new order, as the old one is dead – is possible, not only if Europe spends more on defense, but if it reshapes the values for which it is fighting.
We did not hear the same false criticism of a lack of free speech or democratic values that Vance torched the conference with last year.
But the transatlantic partnership is on life support. Vance’s speech has formed the black and white National Security Policy of the White House. Rubio’s audience remains shell-shocked from the Greenland debacle. He had a low bar to please his audience. He met it, but the applause showed nervous relief, rather than a warm embrace of the policy espoused, and the wide-ranging cultural changes demanded.
Zelensky says Putin cannot live without war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin cannot live without war.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky said that Putin “cannot let go of the idea of war. If he lives another 10 years, war can return or expand.”
“That is why we need real security guarantees before the end of the war,” Zelensky said. “And we hope President Trump and Congress hear us.”
In bitter remarks aimed at the Russian leader, he said Putin doesn’t walk through the streets and “normal things do not interest him.” He consulted more with Tsar Peter and Empress Catherine – the architects of Russian imperial ambitions – than anyone else, Zelensky asserted.
Zelensky spoke against a background of a montage of images of Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.
He also said he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron and EU President Ursula von der Leyen about more action against Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers, a major source of income to the Kremlin.
Zelensky says every power plant in Ukraine damaged
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has now taken to the stage at the Munich Security Conference. He said that not a single Ukrainian power plant has escaped damage by Russian attacks.
Zelensky said that on one night alone this week, Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles and more than 200 drones.
He said deliveries of air defense missiles to help Ukraine defend itself were frequently made just days before they had to be deployed.
Zelensky said weapons were evolving faster than political decisions. Russia’s Shahed attack drones could now be guided in real time and were powered by jet engines. But he believed that Ukraine would produce enough drones soon to render the Shaheds meaningless.
He also condemned Iran for supplying Russia with the Shahed drones, saying the regime had to be “stopped immediately.”
Zelensky said Russia was losing 156 soldiers for every kilometer of land its forces were taking – amounting to 30,000 to 35,000 killed and injured every month.
Here's what Rubio said at the Munich Security Conference
As we’ve been reporting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Munich Security Conference in Germany that the US and Europe “belong together.” Following his speech, he took part in a Q&A, and an interview with Bloomberg News.
Catch up on some of the most significant things Rubio has said so far today:
- Rubio began his speech by recognizing the historical significance of European and US relations, an alliance that he said “saved the world” from past threats. He acknowledged that the US can, at times, be “direct and urgent in our counsel,” but tried to reassure European leaders the Trump administration is committed to the alliance.
- Despite the US’ desire for a strong relationship with Europe, Rubio also emphasized the Trump administration believes the continent needs take on more responsibility for defending itself against regional threats. “We want allies who can defend themselves so no adversaries will feel inclined to challenge our collective strength,” he said.
- The US will continue to try and bring about an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Rubio said, but added his country does not know “if the Russians are serious about ending the war.” Something Washington “can’t answer, but we are going to continue to test, is an outcome Ukraine can live with and Russia can accept,” he added.
- Speaking to Bloomberg News shortly after his remarks, the diplomat discussed a potential nuclear deal between the US and Iran, which he said President Donald Trump would prefer, but noted that this was “very hard to do.” Rubio also suggested regime change in Tehran could be “the best thing that could happen.”
CNN’s Tim Lister contributed to this reporting.
The messages were similar. But where Vance once stunned his audience, Rubio soothed them
European leaders repeatedly applauded US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he delivered a Valentine’s Day message of reassurance to uneasy allies at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. The audience even laughed at his jokes.
It was a striking contrast to the scene just one year ago, when Vice President JD Vance stood at the same podium and delivered a bombastic rejection of liberal orthodoxies that have prevailed in Western Europe since World War II.
Vance was met with a stone-faced audience – and at times elicited audible gasps from the crowd of shocked attendees.
Rubio similarly reinforced the Trump administration’s intention to disrupt the international status-quo. But, unlike Vance, he framed that change as necessary to ensure a strong US-European alliance.
In doing so, the US’ top diplomat struck a noticeably less adversarial tone that his largely European audience appeared to appreciate.
“Our home may be in the Western Hemisphere, but we will always be a child of Europe,” Rubio said at one point during his speech, prompting applause from spectators, who appeared relieved.
UK will deploy carrier strike group to North Atlantic, Starmer says
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced at the Munich Security Conference that his country would deploy a carrier strike group to the High North, led by the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier.
Starmer calls for “closer economic alignment” with EU, 10 years after Brexit
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for “closer economic alignment” with the European Union during his Munich Security Conference speech, and said London would “move closer to the single market” in certain areas.
Starmer said European leaders wanted to work together to lead a “generational shift” in defense industrial cooperation across the bloc — and part of this would involve deeper economic integration.
For context: The EU single market enables free movement of goods, services, capital, and people among member states. Since leaving the EU, in the wake of the Brexit referendum in 2016, the UK has been excluded from this, although it has sought to reduce trade barriers.
Starmer says Europe a “sleeping giant” whose economy dwarfs that of Russia
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Europe is a “sleeping giant” as he called for NATO’s European members to work together to “great effect” in the face of Russian aggression.
“We must move forward together to create a more European NATO. As I see it, Europe is a sleeping giant,” Starmer said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
“Our economies dwarf Russia’s more than 10 times over. We have huge defense capabilities, yet too often this adds up to less than the sum of its parts,” he said.
Starmer said Russia had proved its repeated appetite for aggression, “bringing terrible suffering to the Ukrainian people. Its hybrid threats extend across our continent, not just threatening our security, but tearing at our social contract, collaborating with populists who undermine our values, using disinformation to sow division, using cyber-attacks and sabotage to disrupt our lives and deepening the cost of living crisis.”
The British leader stressed that while the US remained an indispensable ally, the US national security strategy means that Europe must take primary responsibility for its own defense. “That is the new normal,” he said.
Starmer said that Europe must stand ready to build a “hard power,” and be ready to fight, if necessary. “That is the currency of the age, we must be able to deter aggression, and yes, if necessary, we must be ready to fight, to do whatever it takes to protect our people, our values and our way of life,” Starmer said.
No “taboo” can go unchallenged regarding European defense, Von der Leyen says
No “taboo” can go unchallenged when it comes to European defense, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said at the Munich Security Conference, as she talked of the need for a new security strategy for the continent involving bringing a “mutual defense clause to life.”
Referencing how the bloc has remained “relentless” in its support for Ukraine, Von der Leyen said: “This is a true European awakening, and this is only the start of what we need to do.”
She spoke of the need for a new European security strategy, and to “formalize the ad hoc beginnings of new security collaborations.”
“This means, in this actually volatile time, Europe, and in particular the UK, should come closer on security, on economy, on defending our democracies. Ten years from Brexit, our futures are as bound as ever, dear Keir,” she said, referencing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
EU's von der Leyen and UK's Starmer speak at Munich summit
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been speaking at the Munich Security Conference.
Stay with us as we bring you some of the key lines from their speeches.
Rubio says US will persist in efforts to end Ukraine conflict
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been speaking to Bloomberg News, following his earlier remarks at the Munich Security Conference. He said the United States would not walk away from its obligation to end the war in Ukraine.
Rubio added he did not think Russia could achieve its initial objectives at the start of the war nearly four years ago, stating that it was losing 7,000-8,000 soldiers a week in the conflict, a view that tallies with Ukraine’s latest estimate.
On Iran, Rubio said that US President Donald Trump’s preference was to reach a deal – but that was “very hard to do.” Trump sounded pessimistic Friday afternoon when discussing ongoing talks between the US and Iran over a potential nuclear deal, asserting that the Iranians don’t have a good track record on that front.
He also suggested that perhaps regime change in the country would be “the best thing that could happen.” Trump had been more positive about the negotiations just hours earlier, when he said he believed US negotiators “will be successful” in striking a deal.
While Trump seemed to support regime change in Tehran, he said he didn’t “want to talk about” who he would like to see replace Iran’s Supreme Leader, only saying “there are people.”
Rubio also told Bloomberg News that the West’s dependency on China for critical minerals must be reversed.
Beijing sees signs of respect from US, says Chinese foreign minister
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing is encouraged by what he calls “signs of respect” from the United States.
Wang told the Munich Security Conference that some in the US were trying to attack and smear China, and the best outcome would be for the two governments to work together.
The alternative, he said, was to seek to decouple and cut supply chains in a knee-jerk way. Wang said that China wanted cooperation – not conflict – but was well prepared for all types of risks.
Wang, a seasoned diplomat who’s been the face of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s foreign policy for more than a decade, is also projecting his message as Beijing looks to keep steady its ties with the US ahead of an expected trip to China by Trump later this spring.
On Ukraine, Wang repeated China’s view that all regional issues should be solved by negotiation, and Beijing was promoting talks for peace.
He added that Europe should not watch the process from the sidelines, and needed to be at the table – rather than on the menu. “Europe has every right to participate,” he said.
Simone McCarthy contributed to this report.
Rubio says US is unsure if Russia is serious about ending Ukraine war
More from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said Washington would strive to seek a peace deal in Ukraine, but was unsure if Moscow really wanted to end the fighting.
US and Western intelligence agencies have consistently questioned whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has any interest in stopping the conflict and assessed he maintains his maximalist goals even while engaging the US and Ukraine in negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also attended the conference yesterday, said he believes Putin does not want to end the war and questioned his willingness to make concessions. US President Donald Trump has consistently insisted that both Moscow and Kyiv must make concessions to reach a deal to end the fighting, and that a compromise must be reached again soon.
Asked about Trump’s push for Ukraine to make more concessions in order to reach a deal with Russia, Zelensky said Friday that the US president has pressured both sides to compromise – despite the fact that Putin started the war by invading his country – but questioned Russia’s intentions.
Despite his conciliatory tone, Rubio stresses reality of new world order
While US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the historical importance of a strong US-European alliance, he also made clear the Trump administration believes the path forward requires a shift in how those countries work together.
The Trump administration has stressed that Europe must take on more responsibility for defending itself against regional threats rather than relying so heavily on American assistance.
Rubio strikes a very different tone to Vance's blast at Munich one year ago
The tone of Rubio’s remarks on Saturday stand in stark contrast to those delivered at the Munich Security Conference just one year ago by US Vice President JD Vance, in which he harshly criticized Europe for relying too heavily on US support.
Vance’s speech still lingered in the minds of European leaders in the audience Saturday for Rubio’s remarks – during which he received moments of applause from the audience as he stressed the importance of ensuring a strong alliance between the US and Europe.
At the same time Rubio said the global institutions of the old world order must be “reformed” and “rebuilt,” referring to the Trump administration’s dramatic shift in how the US deals with its foreign partners.
US and Europe "belong together," Rubio tells Munich Security Conference, despite tensions
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened his much-anticipated remarks at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday by recognizing the historical significance of the alliance between Europe and America that “saved the world” from past threats.
“While we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference and it is our hope to do this with you, our friends here in Europe,” Rubio said.
“We belong together,” Rubio added about the United States and Europe, emphasizing the importance to the decades-long partnership that has come under intense strain during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Rubio acknowledged that the US can, at times, be somewhat “direct and urgent in our council,” but sought to reassure European leaders that the Trump administration is committed to the alliance.
Rubio begins his speech
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has started his speech at the Munich Security Conference.
We’ll bring you the key lines, stay with us.
Democrats with 2028 ambitions are also on the ground in Munich
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are among the high-profile Democrats looking to counter President Donald Trump at the Munich Security Conference this week, outlining their foreign policy visions and what could come next in meetings with world leaders.
Here’s what Newsom told CNN yesterday:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was just one of the many high-profile Democrats looking to counter President Donald Trump at the Munich Security Conference this week as they outlined their foreign policy visions and what could come next. CNN's Kasie Hunt talks to the California governor about his agenda in Munich.
There's a clear sense of unease in Munich this weekend
Ahead of his speech at the Munich Security Conference today, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared a “new era in geopolitics” — and that seismic shift is apparent in the palpable unease on the ground in Germany.
CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh captures the mood at the conference:
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports from the Munich Security Conference where he describes deep concerns from European world leaders as President Trump's policies and tone with US allies seem to shift based on his whims.
A US-European divide is on display at this weekend's conference in Munich
Welcome to our live coverage of the Trump administration for Saturday, where we’ll begin with a particular focus on Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference.
The gathering in southern Germany, which brings together officials from across the world to discuss international security and hold diplomatic talks, has taken on added weight in light of the growing divide between the United States and Europe.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted starkly that the international world order “no longer exists” — one of the few points of agreement between the fractious allies in the transatlantic alliance.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday night as he departed for Munich that “the old world is gone, frankly” and “we live in a new era in geopolitics.”
Last year’s conference: US Vice President JD Vance’s remarks at the 2025 summit lambasted European politicians, claiming they were suppressing free speech, losing control of immigration and refusing to work with hard-right parties in government.
These comments came the same year the Trump administration increased tariffs on the European Union and United Kingdom, and pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and the WHO.
Merz’s warning: “In the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone,” the German chancellor cautioned this week. “Dear friends, being a part of NATO is not only Europe’s competitive advantage, it’s also the United States’ competitive advantage.”
We’ll bring you more updates from the conference today as news arises.
