Relations crisis in Munich – this is what happened

TT

Published 13.01

           

           

           

                  

          US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a thumbs up as he leaves the Munich Security                            Conference on Sunday.
          1 / 4Photo: Alex Brandon /AP/TT
Did the world leaders at the Munich Security Conference succeed in patching up the crisis in relations between the US and Europe? Does US President Donald Trump still want Greenland? And did the war in Ukraine get any space?

Here is a brief summary of what happened over three days at the luxury hotel Bayerischer Hof in Bavaria, Germany.

Rubio's speech

As expected, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's tone was completely different from JD Vance's lecture on the EU last year. But despite warm words about shared culture and history and assurances that the US wants to cooperate with Europe, many European politicians are taking a wait-and-see approach. It is President Donald Trump's worldview that matters, the policy has not changed and who knows what the next move will be.

Has the relationship with the US been repaired?

It has certainly been worked hard, but so are politicians and experts who believe in transatlantic cooperation who gather at the security conference.

But more than a three-day conference is needed to repair the deep crisis of trust. As someone put it: It's like an old married couple who don't get a divorce, but move into separate bedrooms.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz extended a hand in his speech, but like many others he also stressed that Europe must become more assertive and strengthen both the economy and defense.

Greenland

Donald Trump still wants Greenland. His wish is exactly the same, stated Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Munich.

A meeting between Frederiksen, Rubio and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Fredrik Nielsen did not result in any news, but was described as "constructive".

So the crisis is not over, but the level of conflict has been lowered and NATO decided earlier this week on the new Arctic Sentry mission, where Jas Gripen will monitor the area around Greenland, among other things. A way to meet increased threats from Russia and China, but also to appease Donald Trump.

Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has been a frequent topic of discussion on the panel, although the issue of the damaged relationship between Europe and the US has sometimes overshadowed all other discussions.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyj called on allies – as he has done for several years now – to increase their support. He testified about the urgent situation for the population, about Russian attacks that are disrupting energy supplies and about the situation on the front.

At the same time, Marco Rubio did not mention Ukraine in his speech and he canceled a planned meeting with EU countries, the US and Ukraine at short notice, it was said, due to scheduling conflicts. According to Zelensky, however, he has had talks with Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff in Munich ahead of next week's peace negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.