Rubio's speech
As expected, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's tone was very 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 waiting: they say President Donald Trump's worldview still applies, US policy has not changed, and who knows what the next move will be.
Has the relationship with the US been repaired?
In any case, hard work has been put into it, and politicians and experts who believe in transatlantic cooperation gather at the security conference.
But it takes more than a three-day conference to repair the deep crisis of trust. As one person put it: "It's like an old married couple who don't get divorced, 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 its economy and its defenses.
Greenland
Donald Trump still wants Greenland. "His wish is exactly the same," said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Munich.
A meeting between Frederiksen, Rubio and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Fredrik Nielsen did not yield any announcements, 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, among other things, monitor the area around Greenland. This is a way to meet increased threats from Russia and China, but also to appease Donald Trump.
Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has featured prominently in panel discussions, although the issue of the damaged relationship between Europe and the United States has sometimes overshadowed other conversations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies - as he has done for years - to increase their support. He spoke about the urgent situation of the population, Russian attacks that are disrupting energy supplies, and the situation on the front lines.
Meanwhile, 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, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts. However, Zelenskyy said he had held talks with Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff in Munich ahead of next week's peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US.
