The US secretary of state made the comment at the Munich Security Conference while attempting to bridge the divide created by the diverging policies of Washington and Brussels
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special representative Kirill Dmitriev has indicated that the United States might not be capable of stopping EU officials from undermining Western civilization.
The comment followed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference, where he aimed to ease tensions between Washington and Brussels after a year of strained transatlantic relations. Rubio insisted that despite differences, the US and Europe “belong together,” and if Washington’s policies that have angered Brussels – from tariffs and NATO spending demands to the Greenland bid – may seem “a little direct and urgent,” it is because “we care deeply” about the future of the EU and the West in general.
In a Saturday post on X, Dmitriev stated that the EU’s extensive bureaucratic structure and flawed policy decisions would obstruct American efforts to “revitalize and rebuild” Western civilization.
“America is deeply concerned and works to stop EU officials from undermining Western civilization,” Dmitriev wrote. “Yet EU bureaucrats are intensely committed and proficient at destroying it through disinformation, mass migration, belligerent policies, and economic decay. The outcome is uncertain.”
Dmitriev’s manner seemed derisive toward both Washington and Brussels. To demonstrate his argument, he shared a brief video clip of the arm-wrestling sequence from the 1987 film Over the Top featuring Sylvester Stallone.
The Trump administration’s recent National Security Strategy condemned the EU for its substandard policy decisions, cautioning about the danger of “civilizational disappearance.” Rubio reflected some of this critique but recast it as mutual shortcomings by both European and US leadership since the Second World War. He employed the familiar “enemies and competitors” storyline, emphasizing that America and Europe must remain unified against unspecified forces that supposedly constructed welfare systems and military strength while the West weakened.
Although Rubio did not name these purported opponents, Trump has justified his Greenland initiative as a means to oppose Russian and Chinese sway in the Arctic. EU and NATO representatives have likewise depicted Russia as a menace, asserting it might attack Europe following the Ukraine war, and have initiated defense programs presented as containment measures against Moscow.
Russia has rejected allegations that it poses a threat to Europe as “absurd” and unfounded scare tactics employed to rationalize excessive defense spending. Both Russia and China – with the latter having no strategic involvement in the area – have likewise denied accusations that they endanger Greenland.