Alex Raufoglu is RFE/RL's senior correspondent in Washington, D.C.
At this year's Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed European leaders with affirmations of transatlantic ties -- calling America a "child of Europe" -- while urging reforms to address deindustrialization, migration, and sovereignty challenges.
After a day defined by pointed rhetoric and “wrecking-ball” warnings from European leaders, the focus of the Munich Security Conference has shifted entirely to the man set to deliver Washington’s answer: Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz opened the Munich Security Conference by describing a geopolitical landscape bereft of former signposts, saying the old world order "no longer exists," warning of threats posed by Russia and China, and suggesting US-Europe ties must be fixed.
US lawmakers have unveiled a bipartisan bill to tighten sanctions on Russia’s oil trade, targeting foreign buyers and “shadow fleet” loopholes to curb Kremlin revenue and increase leverage in any Ukraine war talks.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded nearly three hours of closed-door talks at the White House on February 11 without reaching a clear agreement on how to proceed with Iran, underscoring lingering differences over diplomacy and security strategy.
A bipartisan coalition of US lawmakers is seeking to tighten the legal and financial vise on Russia's global mercenary network, introducing legislation on February 10 that would designate the Kremlin's rebranded proxy forces as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
The top US diplomat, Marco Rubio, travels to Germany later this week to lead a delegation to the Munich Security Conference before visiting Slovakia and Hungary. The trip comes as Washington and European states grapple with mistrust over security, trade, and the future of the transatlantic alliance.
Ukraine’s parliamentary speaker spent February 6 on Capitol Hill making the case to US lawmakers that tougher sanctions enforcement remains central to Kyiv’s effort to blunt Russia’s war as it grinds toward a fifth year.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the final remaining bilateral agreement limiting US and Russian nuclear arsenals, expired on February 5, closing a chapter that began in the Cold War and survived its end.
The US Congress has approved $200 million in security assistance for the Baltic states as Russian activity along NATO’s eastern flank intensifies.
The Kremlin’s resumption of its campaign of air strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ignited a firestorm of bipartisan calls on Capitol Hill for immediate action to support Kyiv, but a more measured response from the White House.
