U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is undertaking a crucial trip through Central Europe, visiting Bratislava and Budapest. Following his speech at the Munich Security Conference, the politician declared that the United States does not seek to vassalize the continent but to build partnership relations. Key topics of discussion include energy security, cooperation within NATO, and the region's independence from Russian raw materials through U.S. investments in nuclear energy and liquefied natural gas supplies.

End of the vassalization doctrine

Marco Rubio assured in Bratislava that the United States expects partnership from Europe, not dependence or a vassal status in international relations.

U.S.-Slovak energy cooperation

Prime Minister Robert Fico and the Secretary of State discussed strengthening nuclear cooperation, aimed at cutting off the region from Russian energy sources.

Stop in Budapest

The next stage of the visit is Hungary, where the main topics of talks with Viktor Orbán will be regional security and supplies of American LNG gas.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his trip through Central Europe, met with the leaders of Slovakia and Hungary, emphasizing Washington's new strategy towards the Old Continent. In Bratislava, after talks with Prime Minister Robert Fico and President Peter Pellegrini, Rubio declared that the USA „is not asking Europe to be its vassal”. He stressed that the Donald Trump administration aims for a partnership based on strength and independence, which is intended as a response to accusations of a desire to dominate allies from NATO. Relations between the USA and Central Europe intensified after 2014, when Russia's annexation of Crimea forced a change in the security architecture on the alliance's eastern flank.A significant point of the visit was the proposal from the Visegrád Group (V4) regarding the formalization of the V4+USA format. Rubio responded to this idea with enthusiasm, noting that strengthening ties with countries such as Slovakia, Poland, or Hungary is a priority for the current administration. Economic issues were also discussed, particularly nuclear energy. Slovakia aims to reduce its dependence on Russia through cooperation with U.S. companies in the nuclear sector. Meanwhile, the EU's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, responded to earlier statements by U.S. officials, defending Europe against accusations of decadence, though she admitted that Rubio's tone had become more conciliatory. The next stage of the trip is Budapest, where Rubio will meet with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. American diplomacy is pressuring Hungary to diversify its energy sources, currently almost entirely based on Russian gas. Washington proposes extensive LNG supplies in return. The Secretary of State also referred to the report from European allies regarding the death of Alexei Navalny, describing it as „disturbing” and not disputing the findings pointing to the Kremlin's guilt. This visit is interpreted as an attempt to strengthen Trump's conservative allies within the European Union ahead of upcoming security summits. 16 stycznia — U.S.-Slovak nuclear cooperation agreement signed

Mentioned People

  • Marco Rubio — U.S. Secretary of State, National Security Advisor to Donald Trump.
  • Robert Fico — Prime Minister of Slovakia, initiator of the V4+USA cooperation format.
  • Viktor Orbán — Prime Minister of Hungary, a close European ally of Donald Trump.