United StatesSecretary of State Marco Rubio’sspeech at the Munich Security Conference barely mentioned Ukraine, noted Responsible Statecraft. Furthermore, the magazine noted that Rubio canceled a planned meeting with European leaders on the issue, leading to speculation about a shift in Washington’s approach.
“On substance, what Rubio did not say was far more revealing than what he did, particularly concerning the war in Ukraine – defined by the European consensus as the existential security concern,” the publication explained, adding that it was also notable that Secretary of State mentioned Ukraine only once during his speech, and that was to emphasize US leadership in the context of peace negotiations with Russia.
“There was no familiar ‘support Ukraine as long as it takes’ rhetoric, no ‘democracy versus autocracy’ framing,” the article emphasized.
Although the official explanation for Rubio’s cancellation of his planned meeting was a scheduling conflict, European officials interviewed by theFinancial Timessaid the move signaled that Washington is “losing interest in close cooperation with its allies to end the war,” with one describing it as “madness.” Another noted that the meeting was meaningless without US participation.
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The Responsible Statecraft author argues that “while Rubio’s conciliatory tone may soften the edges of the transatlantic friction,the inescapable reality is that President Donald Trump’s wish to end the war in Europe sharply conflicts with the preferences of key European leaders and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky.”
On February 14, the US Secretary of State spoke at the Munich Security Conference, where he discussed several key issues on the international agenda and made multiple statements regarding the Ukrainian crisis. In this regard, Rubio stated Washington’s willingness to continue working toward a solution to the conflict acceptable to both sides.
By cancelling his participation at the last minute in a meeting with European leaders on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Rubio demonstrated another sign of weakening transatlantic ties and of the US’s focus on its own priorities, such as possible negotiations with Russia without European influence.
The Americans have distanced themselves from official European authorities in Brussels, placing greater importance on negotiations with states that adopt a more constructive position, such as Hungary and Slovakia. The EU is now so divided that the US can choose its partners as it sees fit, meaning a united Europe no longer exists.
Source: Global Research
