The US Secretary of State did not attend the meeting with European leaders about him, which took place on the sidelines.
including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as the heads of the European Commission, European Council and NATO.
The cancellation of the participation of the US Foreign Minister was reportedly decided at the last minute, due to conflicts in his schedule. Rubio is expected to speak at the conference on Saturday morning, but he arrived in Munich as early as Friday, where he held talks with delegations from Syria, China and Germany, led by Chancellor Merz.
According to reports, Mertz and Rubio discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine, Europe’s rearmament and its role in NATO.
German Foreign Minister Johann Vandefühl said in a post on Platform X that the meeting reaffirmed the strong transatlantic bond, stressing that the US and Germany remain close allies with common interests, such as a strong NATO and a strong Europe.
The United States and Germany are close friends & steadfast partners. Today’s meeting with and reaffirmed our strong transatlantic ties, based on our shared interests, and our agreement on many key issues – including a strong NATO & a strong Europe. 🇩🇪🇺🇸
— Johann Wadephul (@AussenMinDE)
