“Too good to be true.” German media about Rubio's speech

US Secretary of State Marc Rubio's speech at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) pleasantly surprised European countries due to the contrast with the confrontational speech of US Vice President JD Vance a year earlier, but his message is essentially the same – says “Sueddeutsche Zeitung” on Sunday.

Vance gave a sharp speech at the MSC last year that no one expected and which “shocked everyone,” writes the German daily. He accused European governments of being afraid of their citizens and of using censorship and repression against disliked opinions and political opposition. He claimed that the US was not interested in defending such a Europe.

“It was like a divorce,” but also “the first of many affronts,” says “SZ”.

He adds that, unlike Vance, Rubio is a “traditional Republican” – very conservative and considered a hawk in foreign policy, but not an ideologue or icon of the MAGA movement. When learning that the Secretary of State would be the head of the American delegation to the MSC, Europe reacted with relief because President Donald “Trump is sending the sensible one”, but also with concern whether the lower rank of the envoy does not mean that the US is not interested in Europe – the newspaper emphasizes.

However, the pleasant impression after Rubio's speech and the vision of the historical, cultural and religious community of the USA and Europe was quickly replaced by the conclusion that the underlying message, though delivered more gently than Vance had previously done, also fundamentally reflects Trump's agenda.

“How else would (Rubio – PAP) behave? In Trump's orbit, only Trump makes decisions, and Rubio assimilated this right away. (…) At the beginning of his term, he was perhaps considered a good cop in the government (…), a possible corrective factor. But since then, doubts have arisen as to whether he is really able and willing to influence the egomaniacal Trump in this way, who takes great joy in playing the bad cop,” writes “SZ”.

“But there is another way. Without the cultural wars with which Americans are throwing Europe off balance,” the newspaper argues. As an example of a possible new approach, he cites a speech by Pentagon deputy chief Elbridge Colby on Thursday, the day before the start of the MSC.

According to the daily, Colby's message to Europe can be summarized as follows: “America (…) actually cares about one thing: no longer incur excessive costs for Europe's security. Take care of your own conventional defense, (…) and we will continue to keep a nuclear umbrella over you and will come to your aid if necessary. You can rely on NATO's Article 5 (on the obligation of allies to collective defense – PAP) without any restrictions.”

Support for such a “clear and understandable division of tasks in security policy between the US and Europe” has also been heard in the German government for months. If Trump or Vance had said something like Colby, “everything would be fine between Europe and America,” but they “say something completely different,” says Sueddeutsche Zeitung. (PAP)

akl/ap/