Rubio says US does not want 'vassal' Europe

BRATISLAVA

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico leave after a joint press conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Feb. 15, 2026. (Photo by Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Feb. 15 that the United States does not want a "vassal" Europe, the day after a speech where he called on Europeans to embrace President Donald Trump's vision for "renewal" of the global order.

"We're not asking Europe to be a vassal of the United States," Rubio said during a brief visit to Bratislava, following his appearance at the Munich Security Conference.

"We want to be your partner. We want to work with Europe. We want to work with our allies."

Rubio told European leaders in Munich that they should rally behind Trump to defend "Western civilization," which Rubio said is in danger of "erasure" by mass migration and cultural and industrial decline.

Rubio moved on from Munich to some of Trump's staunchest right-wing allies in Europe. He met with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and then flew to Budapest where he met nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban yesterday.

At a press conference with Fico, Rubio asserted that Trump wanted to strengthen ties with Central Europe.

He also emphasized that it was in the U.S. interest to have "a strong Europe" more broadly at a time when transatlantic relations are turbulent. He rejected the notion that the United States would feel threatened by a more independent Europe.

Fico has embraced a similar strand of right-wing nationalism to Trump and cultivated close ties with Trump's MAGA movement.

Rubio said he appreciated the remarks and the stakes for Slovakia, saying that the US role is to "facilitate an end to a very deadly, very bloody, very, very costly war, with horrible suffering."

The U.S. chief diplomat then departed for Budapest, where Orban is facing his toughest electoral challenge since returning to power in 2010.

Trump has openly supported the Hungarian nationalist leader, whom he describes as a "strong and powerful man," ahead of parliamentary elections on April 12.