At Europe's premier security conference, leaders expressed relief that the US had not doubled down on its pullback from the regional security alliance after Marco Rubio's conciliatory intervention.
The US Secretary of State arrived at the Munich Security Conference after a confrontational speech at the same event in 2025 by Vice President JD Vance, but struck a different tone, saying Washington wanted "allies who can defend themselves".
Parts of the address grated with his European counterparts. Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign affairs chief, rejected Mr Rubio's claim that a "woke" Europe was destined for civilisational death and, in a rallying call, she said the bloc was "pulling up our boots, revving up our engines".
Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, opened the gathering by acknowledging the "deep divide" Mr Vance had heralded the previous year. Noting the European unity that became most apparent since US President Donald Trump announced his designs on control of Greenland, Mr Merz said ties could be partially repaired by a new and stronger partnership. The German leader warned that in an era of great power rivalry, even the US would not be “powerful enough to go it alone”.
No invitation was forthcoming for the Iranian government and a scheduled panel discussion focusing on Iran did not happen. There was a strong focus on other areas of the Middle East, however.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani used an appearance on a panel hosted by Mina Al-Oraibi, The National's Editor-in-Chief, to accuse Israel of "overreacting" to perceived threats with its military incursions and said authorities in Damascus were working to preserve the unity of the country. "We are dealing with reality, not an ideal world," he said.
The following day, Mr Al Shibani told Hadley Gamble, chief international anchor at IMI, there had been no violence against minorities in Syria at the hands of the central government, despite the large number of killings reported.
In the corridors of the Hotel Bayerische Hof, the conference venue, talks of future deals took place, including the potential for a free-trade agreement between the EU and the Gulf Co-operation Council. Lana Nusseibeh, Minister of State, said UAE-EU relations were set to enter a "new era" in 2026. “The EU's position on forging new partnerships, on not taking a one-size-fits-all approach to those partnerships, is really bearing fruit for the EU," she said.
Mr Trump's Board of Peace was held up by US officials as the vehicle for Gaza's recovery from the ravages of Israel's war against Hamas. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, said the UAE would use its relations with Israel and its inclusion as a board member to push for improvements in Gaza.
Reem Alabali Radovan, Germany's Economic Co-operation and Development Minister, told The National she was consulting with American and other officials over how humanitarian aid flows could be co-ordinated with the US-led effort. “Germany is not part of the Board of Peace, like many other European countries," she said. "At the same time, we are very willing to be part of the reconstruction and rebuilding of Gaza."
Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the event and former German ambassador to the US, closed the meeting, which held the theme Under Destruction, referring to changes in the international system.
He highlighted that Denmark and Greenland issued reminders that "if you cross certain lines, that will simply not be ignored". He said he saw a much greater willingness by Europeans to step up and take ownership of their own defence strategies. "What we need now is action," he told the closing session.
