Europeans were relieved in Munich after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's performance yesterday was markedly different from that of US Vice President J.D. Vance in the same place a year ago. But they are apparently not entirely clear whether this is just a softening of the rhetoric or an opportunity to renew the partnership.
For some, the glass is half full. For others, it's half empty. The former certainly includes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She expressed satisfaction with the US Secretary of State's proposal that Americans and Europeans jointly "revive the transatlantic alliance". Von der Leyen said that the time has come for Europe to take responsibility for its own defense and that in doing so it must overcome some "taboos". She emphasized that the clause in the Treaty on European Union, according to which the EU member states are obliged to defend each other, should be fulfilled with concrete content. This already sounds like a proposal for the establishment of some kind of European NATO.
Constant "spitting on Europe"
The glass half empty also comes from high-level Union politics.
A more open disagreement with Washington was expressed this morning (February 15.02) by European foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas. In her address to the conference, she took a combative tone. She said that the constant "spitting on Europe" was getting on her nerves. "It's very fashionable at the moment. And I wonder - what is the alternative?"
A report by German public broadcaster ARD said that Kaja Kalas gave the US secretary of state a verbal slap. She did not mention Rubio by name, but said that she did not want any lessons on press freedom, because she – as an Estonian – comes from a country that ranks second in the world in terms of press freedom, while the US ranks 57th.
Point by point, she refuted what Marco Rubio had claimed the previous day – Europe is not facing the collapse of civilization, even if the ideology of the MAGA movement gives the impression that the continent is mostly inhabited by decadent people. How else could it be explained, the head of diplomacy asked the audience, that so many countries want to become members of the EU? "When I travel around the world, I see countries that look up to us, because we represent values that are still very much appreciated," Kalas pointed out. She added that the messages sent by Rubio were only partly addressed to Europeans and that they were also intended for the American public. It is clear "that we do not agree on all issues, and that will remain so," Kalas admitted.
Representatives of governments from Eastern Europe were more inclined to take the migration problem seriously. But there is unanimity about the emancipation of Europe from America in the field of defense. The example of Germany was cited, whose defense spending will double by the end of the decade compared to its beginning. French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad recalled that Europeans have been largely taking on the support of Ukraine for almost a year now.
Ukrajinski narod odlikovan Nagradom Evald von Klajst
On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Ewald von Kleist Prize is awarded every year, named after the Wehrmacht officer who was a member of the plot to assassinate Hitler on July 20, 1944. After the war, he was a prominent publisher and one of the founders of the Munich Security Conference. The peace prize has been awarded since 2009. This year, it was received by President Volodymyr Zelensky - on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people. "Ukrainians have suffered terribly," said conference director Wolfgang Ischinger at a ceremony in Munich, "and it was especially terrible how Russia terrorized them in the past, very cold weeks." The prize is usually awarded to statesmen, but this is the first time it has been awarded to an entire nation. Zelensky thanked all the countries that support Ukraine, especially Germany. He pointed to the lack of interceptor missiles.
Observers from Ukraine are noticing that the war in their country is no longer the focus of this security conference as it has been in previous years. Timofey Yelisratenko, a journalist for the online platform "Noviny", warns: "From Munich to the front is a little less than 2.000 kilometers - that's not much. Cities are being destroyed there and civilians are being killed. Europeans should understand that this war can reach them too, if they turn their heads." Zelensky said that Ukraine would have to demobilize about fifty thousand Russian soldiers per month in order to put pressure on Putin. No one could say whether the trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States next week in Geneva would bring tangible steps towards peace.
China and the USA – increasingly fierce competitors
Astrid Freiseisen of Bavarian Radio (BR) noted that Rubio's charm offensive somewhat overshadowed the performance of the Chinese foreign minister who spoke right behind him. Wang Yi came out with a message that was very similar to the one Rubio had conveyed from Washington: "China and the EU are partners, not systemic rivals or adversaries." The applause was much more subdued than that received by Rubio. Political analysts, however, say that Europeans appreciate Beijing's predictability, in contrast to Washington's new unpredictability. German Chancellor Merz, who has already visited China, warned in Munich: "China systematically exploits the dependencies of others. And it is reinterpreting the international order in accordance with its own interests."
Western countries are feeling strong discomfort over their dependence on Chinese exports of rare earth metals. Wang Yi stressed that the United Nations and other international organizations are important to China – while Washington is withdrawing from them. Regarding relations between Beijing and Washington, the Chinese foreign minister said that cooperation would be best “for both countries and for the whole world”. But if Washington does not want this, conflict could also occur. Of course, the key word for Beijing is – Taiwan.
Conference director Wolfgang Ischinger repeatedly asked Wang about China’s peace initiative in the war in Ukraine. The answer was that China wanted peace, but nothing concrete followed. Chinese observers, such as TV presenter Xu Qingdu, were not constrained by the diplomatic code and explained Beijing’s calculation regarding Ukraine without hesitation: “The Europeans stand firmly with the Americans. If we now pressure the Russians to withdraw from Ukraine, we would offend them. That would lose the Russians. And the Europeans would still stand with the Americans. The Americans would be our enemies. And we would be left alone.”
It should be recalled that German Chancellor Merz said that the Chinese will soon be militarily on a par with the Americans. And observers point out that Berlin, like Paris and London, has a big dilemma – they would like to distance themselves from the Chinese, but also cooperate with them.
This year's Munich Security Conference did not bring answers, but it sorted out the big questions of our time. On that vast scanner of the world's security architecture, the cracks – and they are in motion – are more visible than ever.
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