"International order based on rights and rules is currently being destroyed," said the German Chancellor.

European leaders braced for a combative Munich Security Conference on Friday, with Germany’s Friedrich Merz noting starkly that the international world order “no longer exists” – one of the few points of agreement between the fractious allies in the transatlantic alliance.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a calm and reassuring message to America's allies in Munich, after more than a year of President Donald Trump's often-hostile rhetoric toward allies.

At this year's Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed European leaders with affirmations of transatlantic ties -- calling America a "child of Europe" -- while urging reforms to address deindustrialization,

European leaders expressed relief at the tone of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks, but they made it clear that the trans-Atlantic rift remained.

The survey conducted in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain found that up to one-third of respondents considered the U.S. to be a major threat to Europe. The figure rose to as much as 61 percent to include those who considered it a moderate threat, in some cases higher than China, Iran or North Korea.

European allies at NATO are brushing aside concerns that the United States has stepped back from its leadership role at the alliance. U.S.

First, it must accept that it needs its own version of the Monroe Doctrine —one that clearly delineates its sphere of influence, covering the EU member states, associated territories such as Greenland, the Overseas Countries and Territories, and likely also the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership countries.