BBC: Rubio speech signals US-Europe relations
World leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, have been gathering in Munich for Europe's biggest security and defence conference. The burning question on everyone's minds: is the US still an ally of Europe? The keynote speech that everyone was waiting for was from Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state. Would he repeat the attacks made on Europe last year by the US Vice-President JD Vance? Or would he be conciliatory? --- A stray line in Mr Vance’s castigation has caused particular angst in Brussels. By wryly referring to “EU commissars”, Vance rekindled a concern that the MAGA crowd has a deep loathing for the union at Europe’s heart. https://englundmacro.blogspot.com/2025/02/alex-schulman-jag-har-borjat-avsky-usa.html --- The hall was packed to the rafters. Generals and admirals, bemedalled in their uniforms, prime ministers and presidents, diplomats, ambassadors, US Congressmen and women, ...