Secretary of State Marco Rubio cast the United States as the "child of Europe" in a message of unity on Saturday, offering some reassurance as well as levelling more criticism at allies after a year of turmoil in transatlantic relations. Rubio was addressing the annual Munich Security Conference, where Europe's leading powers have tried to project their own independence and strength while straining to keep an alliance with the U.S. under President Donald Trump alive. "For the United States and Europe, we belong together," he said in a speech that drew a standing ovation at the end. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed hope at the conference on Saturday, but worried that Ukraine was being asked "too often" to make concessions in the negotiations. "The Americans often return to the topic of concessions and too often those concessions are discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not Russia," Zelenskiy said.

Source: The Telegraph February 14, 2026 16:22 UTC