Rubio’s Trip to Central and Eastern Europe Was More Than Mere Anti-EU Symbolism
After the Munich security conference, the U.S. Secretary of State flew to Slovakia and Hungary. Driving a wedge in the EU was not the only reason.
The echoes of the Munich Security Conference have not yet faded away, as evidenced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In Munich, he reiterated the ideological divide between the U.S. and Europe in a reasonably polite but forthright manner, and afterward flew on to Bratislava and then Budapest.
Many reasons could be found for his decision, or perhaps a White House decision, but not all of them have to do with dividing Europe by visiting governments critical of Brussels. After all, both Slovakia and Hungary border Ukraine, under attack from Russia. Therefore, visits to both EU and NATO countries are ideally just as important as trips to the capital cities of Western Europe, regardless of who's in power in Bratislava or Budapest.
Fico's Anti-Western Rhetoric
Nevertheless, Rubio wanted to make a statement with his appearance in Munich. Poland, for example, which is governed by liberals, doesn't fit the picture. It's Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and his counterpart in Hungary, Victor Orbán, whose constant Brussels-bashing play right into the hands of the U.S. The fact that a united Europe is harder to deal with than a divided one is not something only Moscow understands; Washington is aware of it as well. And in Budapest, Orbán, who is in danger of losing his majority in the April elections, needs all the help he can get.
In the end, though, even this view falls short. Fico, for example, pursues nationalist-populist policies, describing himself as a leftist. His 2023 election campaign contained clear anti-Western rhetoric. As the then-opposition leader, he denounced a military agreement signed with the U.S. in 2022 as "treason," even though, as head of government, he now refrains from such criticism; the agreement dates back to when Joe Biden was in office. The fact that Fico lamented the "loss of Slovak sovereignty" at the time has not been forgotten in America.
Election Campaign Support for Orbán
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban's sympathy for Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is also likely to be problematic. Although Donald Trump likes to play world leader alongside Putin and China's leader, Xi Jinping, the proximity of central and eastern Europe to Russia is not in the interests of the U.S., and Rubio's election campaign support for Orbán doesn't change this.
There's much to suggest that Rubio's visits to Slovakia and Hungary are motivated by economic and security policy considerations. Both countries are still heavily dependent on Russia for oil and gas, which are coming under increasing pressure from the EU, and on the U.S., which is pushing its own raw materials into the market. Additionally, Washington has an interest in gauging the reliability and stability of both governments, with a view to the transfer of security-related information in times of global crisis.
The echoes of the Munich Security Conference have not yet faded away, as evidenced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In Munich, he reiterated the ideological divide between the U.S. and Europe in a reasonably polite but forthright manner, and afterward flew on to Bratislava and then Budapest.
Many reasons could be found for his decision, or perhaps a White House decision, but not all of them have to do with dividing Europe by visiting governments critical of Brussels. After all, both Slovakia and Hungary border Ukraine, under attack from Russia. Therefore, visits to both EU and NATO countries are ideally just as important as trips to the capital cities of Western Europe, regardless of who's in power in Bratislava or Budapest.
Fico's Anti-Western Rhetoric
Nevertheless, Rubio wanted to make a statement with his appearance in Munich. Poland, for example, which is governed by liberals, doesn't fit the picture. It's Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and his counterpart in Hungary, Victor Orbán, whose constant Brussels-bashing play right into the hands of the U.S. The fact that a united Europe is harder to deal with than a divided one is not something only Moscow understands; Washington is aware of it as well. And in Budapest, Orbán, who is in danger of losing his majority in the April elections, needs all the help he can get.
In the end, though, even this view falls short. Fico, for example, pursues nationalist-populist policies, describing himself as a leftist. His 2023 election campaign contained clear anti-Western rhetoric. As the then-opposition leader, he denounced a military agreement signed with the U.S. in 2022 as "treason," even though, as head of government, he now refrains from such criticism; the agreement dates back to when Joe Biden was in office. The fact that Fico lamented the "loss of Slovak sovereignty" at the time has not been forgotten in America.
Election Campaign Support for Orbán
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban's sympathy for Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is also likely to be problematic. Although Donald Trump likes to play world leader alongside Putin and China's leader, Xi Jinping, the proximity of central and eastern Europe to Russia is not in the interests of the U.S., and Rubio's election campaign support for Orbán doesn't change this.
There's much to suggest that Rubio's visits to Slovakia and Hungary are motivated by economic and security policy considerations. Both countries are still heavily dependent on Russia for oil and gas, which are coming under increasing pressure from the EU, and on the U.S., which is pushing its own raw materials into the market. Additionally, Washington has an interest in gauging the reliability and stability of both governments, with a view to the transfer of security-related information in times of global crisis.
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