The difference couldn't be greater from last year's speech, where Vice President JD Vance lectured Europe's leaders from notes. Marco Rubio had a completely different tone, and Maria Malmer Stenergard could almost hear the audience mentally exhaling.
"We want to cooperate with Europe, we want things to go well for Europe," she told reporters afterwards.
"I hope that what we heard here today will also be the line from the US going forward, that we avoid the rhetoric we have heard in recent weeks."
Differences
Although the rhetoric was more conciliatory, the worldview Rubio painted was not entirely easy for everyone to digest. For example, he accused Europe of a "climate cult" and called the UN and other institutions completely toothless.
Opinions still differ in several areas, the Foreign Minister points out.
"For example, we think it is extremely important that we stand up for the international rules-based world order that has served the world, and especially small and medium-sized countries, and which is now being increasingly questioned, not least by the United States."
Climate cooperation is also absolutely central to Sweden, she adds. Malmer Stenergard is also not entirely convinced that Rubio's more conciliatory tone will hold:
"Other representatives have sounded different. We all remember Munich last year, we remember Trump's statements about Greenland, and it has left its mark and created wounds."
Flattery from Rubio
A lot of flattery but no concrete change in American politics, says S leader Magdalena Andersson about Rubio's speech.
"It was a more cooperative message. Then we'll see if this has any practical significance in the Americans' actions. If you are serious about this speech, it would be appropriate to start by dropping the demand to take Greenland."
She points out that the messages from the current American administration are changing a lot. There is no reason to be naive, she believes:
"We need to continue the work that has been initiated both in Europe and in Sweden regarding our civilian and military capabilities, but also review our economic dependencies on the US because it is obvious that Trump is prepared to use, for example, trade policy as a means of power."
