(Global Times) On the eve of the 62nd Munich Security Conference, the organizers released the Munich Security Report 2026. The cover features a striking elephant with the title “Under Destruction” – the target of that description is self-evident. Last year, US Vice President JD Vance lectured Europe at the conference in a patronizing tone, leaving many European elites visibly rattled. This year, the US delegation will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. His rhetoric may sound somewhat more measured than Vance’s, but the cracks in transatlantic relations have already deepened. From threatening to “purchase” Greenland, to weaponizing trade and systematically undermining multilateral mechanisms, and to wavering on key security issues such as the Ukraine crisis, Washington’s actions have already made Europe feel a distinct chill. The Munich Security Index shows that respondents in many countries – including nearly all G7 countries – believe the global risks posed by the US have grown more serious compared with last year.
Time for Europe to change at this year’s Munich Security Conference
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