In other words, Finnish President Alexander Stubb welcomes the calmer tone of U.S. officials but also warns against a permanent shift in U.S. priorities.
— American foreign policy has changed, says Alexander Stubb, president of Finland and occasional golf partner of President Donald Trump, in a live interview with POLITICO. He points to American national security strategywhich contains some of the harshest remarks against U.S. allies in Europe, and recent communications from senior officials.
The American approach combines ideology and hierarchy, Stubb says, adding: “Ideologically, it's very MAGA.” [Make America Great Again — ang. Sprawmy, by Ameryka znów była wielka]… and on the other hand, it's America First.
The Finnish president's comments came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered his speech in Munich, in which he touched on the topic of Make America Great Again, emphasizing the common heritage of Europe and the United States and shared Christian values. In his speech, Rubio also noted that the United States still views European countries as allies.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the 62nd Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 14, 2026.PAP/EPA/RONALD WITTEK / PAP
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, a close Trump ally, also emphasized in an interview with POLITICO that “Americans are not leaving Europe.”
Whitaker's remarks during the POLITICO Pub at the Munich Security Conference came hours after Rubio tried to reassure European allies worried that Washington would turn on them — especially by withdrawing tens of thousands of American troops.
Both appearances by U.S. officials stand in stark contrast to the overt hostility toward the continent that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance displayed last year on the main stage in Munich.
But Stubb argues that Rubio's comments about America shifting the burden of conventional defense to Europefocusing on the Western Hemisphere and Asia, are not much different from Vance's statements.
(Whitaker also stressed the need for Europeans to take on more of the burden of their own defense. “We need Europe, which is made up of very wealthy and successful countries, to take over conventional defense. That will allow the United States to address other challenges and threats with our allies in these regions,” he told POLITICO.)
President of Finland Alexander Stubb during “POLITICO pub”, Munich, Germany, February 14, 2026.Source: Politico / Baldo Sciacca
“I think we've managed to ease the tensions in transatlantic relations,” Stubb said, noting that he spoke with Rubio for about half an hour after the speech and adding: “We respect the sovereign choices of individual countries.
Rubio's comments made Washington's priorities clear, Stubb says: “Number one is the Western Hemisphere, number two is the Indo-Pacific region, and number three is Europe,” the Finnish leader said.
Stubb argued that Europeans should understand the change in the course of American policy under Trump's leadership.
The Finnish president – a long-time supporter of transatlantic relations – also emphasized that the partnership remains intact. Finland's military integration with the United States predates NATO membership, and bilateral cooperation “is better than ever,” he said.
Stubb also argued that the transatlantic relationship is not ending, but evolving towards a different balance of roles.
“It is in the United States' interest to have very strong defense forces in Finland, Sweden and Norway,” Stubb said. Let's just continue working on this transatlantic partnership, he concluded.
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