US wants a 'strong Europe': Rubio

ATHENS: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said Washington wanted strong allies in Europe as he headed to Portugal for the last leg of a four-day European trip.

“We want our allies to be strong. The stronger they are, the stronger we are collectively…We want a strong Europe. We want strong partners in Europe,” Rubio told reporters at Athens airport.

“The stronger the individual members of (NATO) are, both societally, economically, and militarily, the stronger NATO is,” he said.

Rubio was in Greece for talks Wednesday on energy, defence and cultural matters, and also announced a joint agreement on information-sharing on drug trafficking and terrorism.

In a fiery speech beneath the Acropolis after talks with Greek officials, the US secretary of state flexed American power and called on Europe to shake off its “long slumber”.

He warned that Western civilisation now finds itself “at a crossroads” between “national power” and decline.

Rubio began his European trip late Monday in Iceland to push for greater US influence in the Arctic after Washington sealed a pact on Greenland.

Saudi foreign minister arrives in Washington for talks with Rubio

On Tuesday he said that Iceland had long served as “a critical outpost for monitoring clandestine behaviour and deterring our adversaries”.

The Trump administration has long pushed NATO members to increase their defence spending and take more responsibility for their own security.

At a summit in The Hague in June 2025, alliance members committed to investing 5 percent of GDP annually on defence by 2035.

“There are many countries that have stepped up. Frankly, the Germans who are stepping up and doing their part to be stronger,” Rubio said on Thursday.

“I think there’s some good signs in a lot of different places where that’s happening. And obviously, there’s some countries that are dragging, and I know they have a lot of domestic pressure. But I think this is good for all of them,” Rubio said.

Rubio’s visit comes as US media have in recent days reported on possible conflicts of interest involving the US ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Several Democrats have accused Guilfoyle – a former fiancee of Trump’s son, Donald Jr – of promoting the commercial interests of a Greek construction and energy company during official diplomatic engagements.

She is also accused of repeatedly allowing a registered lobbyist for that foreign company to participate in meetings with senior US officials.

Asked about this, Rubio refused to answer, but reiterated his support for the former Fox News presenter.