Europe has been urged to confront the pressures caused by mass migration (Image: Getty)
Europe has been urged to confront the pressures caused by mass migration after Donald Trump’s right-hand man warned it was reshaping societies across the West. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said European leaders should not feel “shackled by shame” when discussing border control and national security.
Rubio used his appearance at the summit, which drew around 50 world leaders, to argue that Europe and the United States remain closely connected and face many of the same challenges. He said the two regions “belonged together” and described Europe as one of America’s “most cherished allies and oldest friends”.
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Rubio was speaking at the Munich Security Conference (Image: Getty)
The comments come at a time when questions are being raised about the future of NATO and whether Washington will continue to guarantee Europe’s defence in the years ahead.
Rubio said those debates should not distract from what he called a long-running issue affecting both continents.
“Mass migration is not, was not, some fringe concern of little consequence,” he told delegates.
“It was and continues to be a crisis that is transforming and destabilising societies all across the West.”
Rubio insisted his argument was not based on hostility towards migrants, but a belief that governments must be able to decide who enters their countries.
“Controlling who and how many people enter our countries – this is not an expression of xenophobia, it is not hate,” he said. “It is a fundamental act of national sovereignty.”
Rubio insisted his argument was not based on hostility towards migrants (Image: Getty)
He went on to characterise uncontrolled migration as “an urgent threat to the fabric of our societies and to the survival of our civilisation itself”, adding that failing to act amounted to a “fundamental abdication [of] duty”.
Rubio urged European governments to approach the issue more confidently.
He said: “This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt and shame. We want allies who are proud of their culture and of their heritage, who understand that we are heirs to the same great and noble civilisation, and who together with us are willing and able to defend it.”
He said Washington wanted to “revitalise an old friendship” and strengthen transatlantic ties but expected allies to increase their own defence capabilities.
“We want allies who can defend themselves,” he said, arguing this would add to collective security.
Rubio also said Trump “demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends here in Europe”.
“If at times we disagree, our disagreements come from our profound sense of concern about a Europe with which we are connected,” he added. “Not just economically, not just militarily – we are connected spiritually and we are connected culturally.”
His remarks were met with some relief inside the hall, according to Wolfgang Ischinger, the chairman of the Munich Security Conference, who contrasted Rubio’s message with last year’s address by US Vice President JD Vance.
Sir Keir Starmer was among the world leaders listening. He has already held meetings with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, and is using the summit to encourage European countries to strengthen their own defences.
Starmer is also expected to say Europe remains an essential partner for the UK and will argue that working more closely with the EU is vital for national security.
The conference has also seen discussions with Volodymyr Zelensky as the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches on February 24.
Leaders have been using the event to discuss the future of support for Kyiv and how to bring the conflict to an end.
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