NATO is still important — but Europe needs a new defense strategy, EU leaders at the Munich Security Conference said

NATO remains a vital security umbrella for Europe, but self-reliance and mutual defense was a recurring theme for the continent's leaders during the annual Munich Security Conference.

Munich Security Conference wraps up: Focus shifts to Europe's strategy and leadership

It is the third and final day of the Munich Security Conference, the annual gathering of political, military, and security leaders. Much of the first two days focused outward on Europe, examining the European Union’s relationship with the United States and Russia’s war against Ukraine. Sunday will take a more inward look, considering the bloc’s own role and influence. Antonia Kerrigan reports.

By FRANCE24

As transatlantic divorce plays out in Munich, China enjoys the silence

At a Munich Security Conference drinks reception last week, a seasoned Chinese delegate who has been coming to Bavaria for more than a decade said China had long felt like an observer on the periphery. China was mentioned mainly to be blamed, they said – but things flipped last year when, instead of taking Beijing to task, US Vice-President J.D. Vance targeted Europe. Later in the weekend, the event’s CEO Benedikt Franke praised the China Centre for Globalisation – a Beijing think tank – for...

By Finbarr Bermingham

Europe bashing: EU's top diplomat rejects US talk of 'civilizational erasure'

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas pushed back against what she described as "European bashing" in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday. Kallas welcomed the message of unity delivered by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the annual gathering but dismissed the Trump administration's talk of Europe's "civilizational erasure".

By FRANCE 24

European leaders discuss role at Munich Summit

It is the third and final day of the Munich Security Conference, the annual gathering of political leaders, military officials and security experts, after the first two days largely focused outward on Europe’s relationships, notably the European Union’s ties with the United States and Russia’s war against Ukraine, while Sunday’s agenda turns inward to examine the bloc’s own role and influence, as our correspondent Nick Holdsworth reports from the conference.

By FRANCE24

Greenlandic prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen: "Greenland is not for sale"

The third and final day of the Munich Security Conference is set to focus on Europe, with speakers including European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, after European allies expressed some relief on Saturday when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was not seeking to undermine the transatlantic alliance, despite reiterating criticism of EU immigration and climate policies, while tensions persisted as Denmark’s prime minister said she believed Donald Trump’s ambition to seize Greenland remained unchanged; meanwhile, our FRANCE 24 correspondent Nick Holdsworth spoke with Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who reiterated that Greenland “is not for sale.”

By FRANCE24

Rubio's words reassure Europe, but tensions remain

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers a keynote speech at the annual Munich Security Conference; European stakeholders are reassured but still wary.

By Mary Louise Kelly

Rubio says US and Europe 'belong together' despite tensions

The US secretary of state reassures European leaders that the Trump administration backs the transatlantic alliance.

Russian Strike on Ukraine’s Odesa Kills Woman – Governor

The attack comes as U.S. and European leaders gather for a high-powered summit in Munich, with how to end the war in Ukraine top of mind.

Rubio steps into Munich spotlight as Trump leans on him to carry Vance’s populist message abroad

Marco Rubio attends Munich Security Conference following Vice President JD Vance's controversial 2025 speech that stunned European leaders and criticized democratic values.

Munich Security Conference 2026: The West against itself

The Munich Security Conference has long functioned as a central platform for international security debates, particularly as a forum through which threat perceptions within the tra...