Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Europe’s fate is intertwined with the US while faulting the continent for what he said was a drift away from their shared Western values. 
The double-edged message offered some reassurance to allied leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference but did little to temper their push for more independence from Washington. 
“We want Europe to prosper because we’re interconnected in so many different ways, and because our alliance is so critical,” Rubio told Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait on the sidelines of the conference on Saturday. “But it has to be an alliance of allies that are capable and willing to fight for who they are and what’s important.”
“What is it that binds us together? Ultimately, it’s the fact that we are both heirs to the same civilization, and it’s a great civilization,” he said. “It’s one we should be proud of.”
Rubio’s comments elaborated on a speech he delivered to the event, Europe’s premier annual security gathering, earlier Saturday morning. The speech was the most anticipated of the three-day conference, with fellow leaders eager to hear if he would double down on the contemptuous tone voiced a year earlier by Vice President JD Vance at the same venue.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Europe&rsquo;s fate is intertwined with the US while faulting the continent for what he said was a drift away from their shared Western values.&nbsp; The double-edged message offered some reassurance to allied leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference but did little to temper their push for more independence from Washington.&nbsp; &ldquo;We want Europe to prosper because we&rsquo;re interconnected in so many different ways, and because our alliance is so critical,&rdquo; Rubio told Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait on the sidelines of the conference on Saturday. &ldquo;But it has to be an alliance of allies that are capable and willing to fight for who they are and what&rsquo;s important.&rdquo; &ldquo;What is it that binds us together? Ultimately, it&rsquo;s the fact that we are both heirs to the same civilization, and it&rsquo;s a great civilization,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s one we should be proud of.&rdquo; Rubio&rsquo;s comments elaborated on a speech he delivered to the event, Europe&rsquo;s premier annual security gathering, earlier Saturday morning. The speech was the most anticipated of the three-day conference, with fellow leaders eager to hear if he would double down on the contemptuous tone voiced a year earlier by Vice President JD Vance at the same venue.

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Listen for today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. Each morning, hosts Nathan Hager and Karen Moskow bring you the latest headlines on US politics, foreign relations, financial markets and global economics. The show is recorded at 5AM ET each weekday, so you get the freshest reporting on the stories that matter. Get informed from Bloomberg's 3,000 journalists and analysts. Listen and subscribe to Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition.

Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition

Special Coverage: A Conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f1d34ffb-f945-4c5a-bc6f-b3f100f76bd8/transcript