MSC: Macron says world should take 'cue' from Europe
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the highest US official attending the event
Read below for the latest headlines, videos and deep dives into the 2026 MSC from Friday, February 13 to Sunday, February 15
Skip next section What did Rubio say about US-China ties?02/14/2026February 14, 2026
What did Rubio say about US-China ties?
The US’ top diplomat acknowledged that while the interests of the US and China “will often not align,” they “owe it to the world to manage” their differences to avoid conflict.
Marco Rubio said Washington wants to have a positive impact on the world with China, but said there remain “long-term challenges that we are going to have to confront that are going to be irritants” in their bilateral relationship.
Last year saw the world’s two largest economies impose tit-for-tat tariffs amid an unpredictable and escalating trade dispute.
https://p.dw.com/p/58kdqSkip next section Rubio: ‘We don’t know if the Russians are serious about peace’02/14/2026February 14, 2026
Rubio: ‘We don’t know if the Russians are serious about peace’
Image: Liesa Johannssen/REUTERS
Marco Rubio told the Munich Security Conference that while peace in Ukraine remains elusive, “progress has been made.”
During a Q&A after his speech, the US Secretary of State told MSC host Wolfgang Ischinger that after several rounds of US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine, “the issues have been narrowed.”
“The bad news is that they’ve been narrowed to the hardest questions to answer, and work remains to be done on that front,” Rubio said.
The main sticking points to a peace deal are believed to be territorial questions and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Russia has refused to cede territory it has occupied in eastern Ukraine, where the nuclear plant and where much of Ukraine’s industrial wealth is located.
US applying pressure to end the war, Rubio says
Rubio admitted that the US does “not know if the Russians are serious about ending the war — they say they are,” but he acknowledged question marks around the terms under which Russia would end the war ”and whether we can find terms that are acceptable to Ukraine that Russia will agree to.”
In the meantime, the US Secretary of State said Washington continues to apply pressure through both direct and indirect sanctions.
Rubio pointed to the recent deal with India, under which New Delhi agreed to stop buying Russian oil, and the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), an initiative to supply US weapons to Kyiv with NATO funds.
“We continue to do everything we can to reach a settlement,” he said.
https://p.dw.com/p/58kccSkip next section What did Marco Rubio say during his speech at the MSC?02/14/2026February 14, 2026
What did Marco Rubio say during his speech at the MSC?
Rubio seemed in his speech to appease to Europe amid critical undertones aimed at European policiesImage: Thomas Kienzle/AFP
Here are some key points from the speech given by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference:
- Rubio paid tribute to Europe’s culture and heritage
- He denied that the Trump administration wants to weaken NATO
- Rubio said the US wants Europe to be strong, proud and unapologetic of its history
- He slammed global trade and the ‘loss of control of supply chains’ to China
- Rubio said European civilization was at risk from mass migration
- He denied that the US wants to dismantle the UN and other global institutions, but called for reform
- Rubio condemned the UN for its inability to resolve conflicts while simultaneously lauding the US under Trump
https://p.dw.com/p/58kYWSkip next section US’ Rubio highlights Christianity as link between US and Europe02/14/2026February 14, 2026
US’ Rubio highlights Christianity as link between US and Europe
While addressing the US allies and world leaders attending the Munich Security Conference, US State Secretary Marco Rubio spoke several times of the “shared Christian faith” between the US and Europe, and called his country “a child of Europe” without referencing the Indigenous, African American, and immigrant communities that have shaped US culture.
He then claimed that “mass immigration” was destabilizing Western countries.
Looking to the past, he slammed “godless communism” and characterized independence movements as “anti-colonial uprisings.”
He also noted that Washington wants “allies that can defend themselves” so well that enemies will be too scared to attack, having earlier accused other Western nations of being too frightened to fight for themselves.
Rubio also praised European contributions to philosophy and culture, getting applause when he mentioned the Cologne Cathedral and German beer-making.
https://p.dw.com/p/58kYiSkip next section Rubio: The United States and Europe belong together02/14/2026February 14, 2026
Rubio: The United States and Europe belong together
In Munich, US top diplomat Marco Rubio decried “mistakes” both the US and its European allies had made in allowing national sovereignty to crumble — veiled references to economic reliance on countries like China and mass immigration.
“We made these mistakes together, and together we owe it to our people to face those facts and move forward…we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone. But it is our preference to do it together.”
The secretary of state then appeared to address criticism from allies that President Trump has displayed a disregard for precedent and decorum amongst friends, saying it was because “we care deeply for our shared future.”
https://p.dw.com/p/58kXESkip next section US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses MSC amid transatlantic tensions02/14/2026February 14, 2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses MSC amid transatlantic tensions
Top US diplomat Marco Rubio has started his highly anticipated speech at the Munich Security Conference, with top political and military leaders from Europe and other parts of the world attending the event.
US allies hope to gain a glimpse of Washington’s future course on security amid Donald Trump’s erratic and occasionally hostile course threatening long-standing alliances.
https://p.dw.com/p/58kNuSkip next section Europe mulls self defense without the US ahead of Rubio speech02/14/2026February 14, 2026
Europe mulls self defense without the US ahead of Rubio speech
Elizabeth Schumacher
One of the first MSC panels held early on Saturday morning was “Hard Core Europe: Defending Ourselves Without the US?”. With the US an increasingly unreliable partner — walking away from international agreements and threatening to annex territory belong to a fellow NATO member — European nations have been mulling ways reduce reliance on Washington for security.
The discussion came shortly ahead of a speech by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ahead of his departure yesterday, Rubio warned European allies that a “new era” of geopolitics was beginning.
https://p.dw.com/p/58kNsSkip next section Chinese FM calls for closer economic ties with Europe02/14/2026February 14, 2026
Chinese FM calls for closer economic ties with Europe
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Germany’s Johann Wadephul and France’s Jean-Noel BarrotImage: Malin Wunderlich/dpa/picture alliance
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China and the EU should properly manage their differences during a meeting with his German and French counterparts on the sidelines of the MSC on Friday.
According to a readout published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua on Saturday morning, Wang said that “unilateralism, protectionism, and power politics” were on the rise globally and hoped that Europe would instead “pursue a rational and pragmatic policy towards China.”
“China’s development is an opportunity for Europe, and Europe’s challenges do not come from China,” Wang said.
Wang also held a separate meeting just with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, in which he hailed economic and trade cooperation as “the cornerstone of China-Germany ties.”
https://p.dw.com/p/58kElSkip next section What happened at the MSC on Friday?02/14/2026February 14, 2026
What happened at the MSC on Friday?
Germany’s chancellor did not mince words during his opening speech at the Munich Security ConferenceImage: dts-Agentur/picture alliance
The Munich Security Conference kicked off on Friday with a speech by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who did not hold back in calling out a growing “rift” between Europe and the United States under President Donald Trump.
Merz said the post-World War II order, which had been shaped by US supremacy and Europe enjoying a “vacation from world history” under Washington’s security umbrella, has come to an end.
He said Europe can come together and shape a new order.
“We are not at the mercy of this world, we can shape it,” Merz said, arguing that Europeans can do so if they “step up together with determination and confidence in our own strengths.”
At the same time Merz said the US and Europe need to “repair and revive trans-Atlantic trust together,” while pointing out that the US “claim to leadership has been challenged, and possibly lost,” warning of the rise of Russia and China.
“Merz’s pointed analysis of how isolated Trump’s aggressive take on trade and security has left the US was so blunt that it sounded like an insult,” DW’s Chief Political Editor Michaela Kuefner said at the conference.
German Defense Minister Pistorius on new military spending
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio is representing the US at the conference, with a much-anticipated speech due for Saturday morning.
Before leaving for Munich, Rubio said ties between the US and Europe are facing a “defining moment.”
“The old world is gone, frankly, the world I grew up in, and we live in a new era in geopolitics, and it’s going to require all of us to re-examine what that looks like and what our role is going to be,” he said.
Rubio added that the US is “deeply tied to Europe, and our futures have always been linked and will continue to be. We’ve just got to talk about what that future looks like.”
German and US delegations met for closed door talks on the sidelines of the MSC FridayImage: Liesa Johannssen/REUTERS
Rubio met with Merz and a German delegation on Friday for closed door talks. The US top diplomat also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
French President Emmanuel Macron closed out Friday’s MSC with a speech emphasizing Europe’s strengths, and urging Europeans not to “give in” to Russia’s demands and “exhibit strength and tenacity on Ukraine.”
“This is the right time for audacity. This is the right time for a strong Europe,” Macron said.
https://p.dw.com/p/58k8lSkip next section UK’s Starmer to call for closer UK-EU defense partnership02/14/2026February 14, 2026
UK’s Starmer to call for closer UK-EU defense partnership
British Prime Minister Kier Starmer will call for deeper ties between the UK and the EU in his speech at the MSC on Saturday, according to notes released ahead of time by his office.
“We are not the Britain of the Brexit years anymore. Because we know that, in dangerous times, we would not take control by turning inward — we would surrender it. And I won’t let that happen,” Starmer is expected to say on Saturday.
“There is no British security without Europe, and no European security without Britain. That is the lesson of history — and it is today’s reality too.”
Kier Starmer arrived at the Munich Security Conference on Friday and will deliver his speech on SaturdayImage: Stefan Rousseau/empics/picture alliance
In his speech, Starmer will argue that European countries must shift away from being overdependent on the US for security, including with in the NATO alliance. He will call on European leaders to work together to build up “sovereign deterrence and hard power.”
“As I see it — Europe is a sleeping giant. Our economies dwarf Russia’s, ten times over,” the excerpt of Starmer’s speech read.
“We have huge defense capabilities. Yet, too often, all of this has added up to less than the sum of its parts.”
“Across Europe, fragmented industrial planning and long, drawn out procurement mechanisms have led to gaps in some areas — and massive duplication in others.”
https://p.dw.com/p/58k9TSkip next section Zelenskyy awards Order of Freedom to disqualified Ukrainian athlete02/14/2026February 14, 2026
Zelenskyy awards Order of Freedom to disqualified Ukrainian athlete
Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the disqualified Winter Olympian on the sidelines of the MSCImage: Alexandra Beier/AFP
Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych visited Munich on Friday night after he was disqualified from competing in the men’s skeleton race event at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Heraskevych had worn a helmet featuring Ukrainian athletes who have been killed since the 2022 Russian invasion. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Friday that this violated Article 50 of the Olympic Charter which bans “political, religious or racial propaganda” at the event.
In Munich, Heraskevych was received by Ukrainian delegates on the sidelines of the MSC along with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who awarded him the Order of Freedom.
“Ukraine will always have champions and Olympians,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
“But above all, Ukraine’s greatest asset is Ukrainians – those who cherish the truth and the memory of the athletes killed by Russia, athletes who will never compete again because of the Russian aggression.”
https://p.dw.com/p/58k9PSkip next section WATCH: Ukrainian MP tells DW what Kyiv is looking for at this year’s MSC 02/13/2026February 13, 2026
WATCH: Ukrainian MP tells DW what Kyiv is looking for at this year’s MSC
Yevheniia Kravchuk, a Ukrainian MP, said Ukraine is seeking to use the Munich Security Conference to deepen defense partnerships in Europe.
She told DW Kyiv can share hard-earned battlefield expertise as warfare evolves.
Ukrainian MP Kravchuk at MSC: Europe must do more
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https://p.dw.com/p/58k5dSkip next section Rubio skips Ukraine meeting with European leaders 02/13/2026February 13, 2026
Rubio skips Ukraine meeting with European leaders
US officials said the top diplomat’s schedule was ‘packed’ with meetings on FridayImage: Alex Brandon/AP Photo/picture alliance
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not join a meeting on the sidelines of the MSC Friday attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of Ukraine’s European partners.
US officials at the conference speaking to news agencies under condition of anonymity said Rubio’s schedule “was packed with separate bilateral meetings” but that the secretary was discussing the Russia-Ukraine war “in many of his meetings.”
Rubio met earlier Friday with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and discussed “Ukraine, the status of negotiations with Russia and further support for the country, particularly in terms of military aid,” a German government source told AFP news agency.
A US official told Reuters news agency that Rubio is due to meet with Zelenskyy at the conference on Saturday.
US President Donald Trump is applying pressure on Ukraine’s government to accept a deal to end the war, no matter how unfavorable the terms.
“Russia wants to make a deal, and Zelenskyy’s going to have to get moving. Otherwise, he’s going to miss a great opportunity,” Trump said on Friday.
Conditions of previous deals seen as favorable to Moscow, including ceding territory to Russia without binding security guarantees from Western allies, have been unacceptable to Ukraine.
Rubio’s speech on Saturday morning is the most anticipated event of the three-day conference. European leaders will be looking for signals that the US is still a committed strategic partner.
On Thursday before leaving for Munich, Rubio told reporters, “Europe’s important to us” and the US is “deeply tied to Europe and our futures have always been linked and will continue to be.”
Russia weaponizing winter in Ukraine
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https://p.dw.com/p/58k4tSkip next section WATCH: German Defense Minister Pistorius on new military spending02/13/2026February 13, 2026
WATCH: German Defense Minister Pistorius on new military spending
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany’s boost in military spending is being welcomed on the other side of the Atlantic.
“We did everything we could do” Pistorius told DW at the Munich Security Conference. “I think the United States realizes that and acknowledges that.”
German Defense Minister Pistorius on new military spending
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https://p.dw.com/p/58k4ISkip next section Macron: Europe should not cave in to Russia’s demands 02/13/2026February 13, 2026
Macron: Europe should not cave in to Russia’s demands
French President Emmanuel Macron touched on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during his speech at the MSC.
Macron said Europe should not give into Russia’s demands and should “exhibit strength and tenacity on Ukraine.”
“I hear some leaders urging Ukraine to accept that they are defeated, overpraising Russia as well. This is a huge strategic mistake, because this is not the reality,” Macron said.
Full Russian control of the eastern Ukrainian Donbas region has been included as part of previous peace deal drafts. Russian forces currently occupy a large section of the region, with incremental territorial gains continuing to come at a huge cost. Giving up the region in exchange for security guarantees would be seen as a major concession for Ukraine.
“This is the right time for audacity. This is the right time for a strong Europe,” Macron said, while adding that more pressure should be put on Russia.
The French president said if there is a peace deal with Russia, Europe will have to create a new framework for coexistence.
“If we reach a settlement on Ukraine, we will still have to contend with an aggressive Russia,” Macron said. “We will have to define rules of coexistence that limit the risk of escalation.”
US reportedly pushing Ukraine to give up Donbas
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Vezi articolul la: DW