| RUBIO: 'WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT YOUR FUTURE': Secretary of State Marcio Rubio had a low bar to clear in his speech to the Munich Security Conference Saturday. He needed only to avoid the incendiary rhetoric of last year's speech by Vice President JD Vance, in which the vice president shocked the conference by labeling Europe "the threat from within," accusing America's closest allies of retreating from "its most fundamental values." Rubio, America's top diplomat, struck a decidedly more conciliatory tone. "The United States and Europe, we belong together," Rubio said. "We are part of one civilization — Western civilization. We are bound to one another by the deepest bonds that nations could share, forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made." Then came the tough love."We Americans may sometimes come off as a little direct and urgent in our counsel," Rubio said. "President Trump demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends here in Europe. The reason why, my friends, is because we care deeply. We care deeply about your future and ours." "Under President Trump, the United States of America will once again take on the task of renewal and restoration," he said. "And while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference, and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe." A 'SIGH OF RELIEF': While Rubio insisted in an interview with Bloomberg that he delivered "the same message," as Vance, that "Europe had made a series of decisions internally that were threatening to the alliance and ultimately to themselves," Rubio's softer tone was perceived as not nearly so confrontational. "I'm not sure you heard the sigh of relief through this hall when we were just listening to what I would interpret as a message of reassurance," Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the conference, told Rubio in the Q&A session that followed his speech. "I was very much reassured by the speech of the Secretary of State. We know him. He's a good friend, a strong ally," said European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen onstage with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "The Secretary of State was very clear. He said we want a strong Europe in the alliance." But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among many European leaders — including France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz — who warned there was no going back to days when the United States could be relied upon to do the heavy lifting. "We shouldn't get in the warm bath of complacency and think that therefore all we're really doing is reasserting the continuation of what we've had for the last 80 years," Starmer said. "That would be a mistake." "You've chosen a grim motto for this conference, 'Under Destruction,'" Merz said in his speech, referring to a report issued before the conference that concluded that the U.S.-led post-1945 international order has fallen victim to "wrecking-ball politics." "This order, as flawed as it has been even in its heyday, no longer exists," Merz said. "And we, Europe, well, Peter Sloterdijk wrote a few weeks ago that Europe had just returned from a vacation from world history." "As I see it, Europe is a sleeping giant. Our economies dwarf Russia more than ten times over," Starmer said in his speech. "Europe has over 20 types of frigate, and 10 types of fighter jet. We have over 10 types of main battle tank, whilst the U.S. has one," he said. "We have huge defense capabilities, yet too often this adds up to less than the sum of its parts." "The U.S. security umbrella has allowed these bad habits to develop. But now we must break them." COONS: 'HE SPOKE MORE LOUDLY BY WHAT HE DIDN'T SAY': Despite the overall positive reception to Rubio's framing of future U.S.-European defense relationship, there was grumbling behind the scenes. "I think he spoke more loudly by what he didn't say than what he did say," said Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), who was part of the bipartisan U.S. delegation to the Munich conference. "His focus on the civilizational ties between the United States and Europe left a number of folks in the audience who I spoke to later who are trusted partners from Japan, from Korea, from India, democracies that the United States has long partnerships with. It left them somewhat cold." "He didn't call out Russia as the aggressor against Ukraine. He didn't call out the PRC, Communist China, as the aggressor in the Western Pacific," Coons said on Fox News Sunday. "And he didn't say that the urgent challenge of the moment, given that North Korea, Iran, China and Russia are increasingly partnering and working closely together, is for the United States and our democratic allies around the world, whether it's Korea, Japan or Australia, Europe, Germany, France, Italy, the U.K., Poland, that it is urgent for us to come together as free market, free societies committed to democracy." "The tone was good. How he said it was pleasant. But the fundamentals continue to be challenging on both sides of the Atlantic," former Supreme NATO Commander retired Adm. James Stavridis said on CNN. "At the end of the day, his tone was very reassuring to the Europeans. But — and it's a pretty big but — there are still fundamental disagreements of approach over tariffs, over the status of Greenland, over intellectual property, over Ukraine, about climate." "There is more to disagree at the moment between the United States and Europe than to agree about," Stavridis said. "But the fundamentals continue to be challenging on both sides of the Atlantic." RUBIO BOASTS OF 'GOLDEN ERA OF RELATIONS' BETWEEN US AND HUNGARY Good Tuesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre's Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn't work, shoot us an email and we'll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE HAPPENING TODAY: TALKS MOVE TO GENEVA: Talk about shuttle diplomacy, President Trump's point man in negotiations with both the Ukraine and Iran situations, Steve Witkoff, is in Geneva, Switzerland, for separate talks in both conflicts. The U.S. and Iran are expected to hold a second round of indirect talks about Iran's nuclear program, while at the same time, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators are also set to meet in Geneva for a U.S.-brokered session. While Russia has refused to make a single concession over the past year, Trump continues to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for refusing to capitulate to Putin's demands, which, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov likes to point out, have not changed since the invasion of Ukraine four years ago. "President of Russia Vladimir Putin has clearly defined the goals of the special military operation. He reaffirmed them on multiple occasions," Lavrov said in an interview last week. "These goals remain unchanged and are not open to opportunistic compromise." "Russia wants to make a deal, and Zelensky's going to have to get moving. Otherwise, he's going to miss a great opportunity. He has to move," Trump said Friday, and he said it again to reporters on Air Force One on his flight back to Washington last night. "Ukraine better come to the table fast. That's all I'm telling you, calling the Geneva meeting 'big talks.'" "Russian officials are unlikely to deviate from their original war demands," the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update. "Ukrainian Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov stated on February 14 that Ukraine will raise the issue of another temporary energy strikes ceasefire." Meanwhile, Russia conducted another massive drone and missile strike on Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight. "Nearly 400 drones and 29 missiles of various types were used, including ballistic ones. A significant number were shot down, but unfortunately there were also hits," Zelensky said in a post on X. "In Odesa, tens of thousands of people are without heat and water supply after the drone strike." ZELENSKY IN NO MOOD FOR COMPROMISE: In his speech at the Munich conference, Zelensky made another separate plea for more air defense missiles to blunt Russia's unrelenting attacks aimed at inflicting misery on the Ukrainian people to make up for the lack of progress on the front lines. "One of the worst things a leader can hear in wartime is a report from the Air Force commander saying: the air defense units are empty — they used their missiles to stop Russian strikes, and there was no resupply." Before going to Munich, Zelensky told The Atlantic's Simon Shuster that Ukraine had adopted a strategy of accepting U.S. proposals "in any format" to show that Russia is the roadblock to peace, not Ukraine. "When they say, Let's hurry and meet!, we say, Sure! Are you ready to freeze the line where you stand now? We're ready. Are you ready for some compromises? Only if the other side wants to compromise. Are you ready to meet the Russians in America? For us, it doesn't matter where, except Moscow." "What I see, they give more signals that Ukraine has to make compromises and not Russia," he said. "This is not [the] right position," Zelensky said in an interview with Politico's Dasha Burns at the Munich Conference. Zelensky predicted that Putin would not give up until he faced real pressure in the form of solid security guarantees for Ukraine approved by the U.S. Congress, and suggested that Trump's deadline to wrap up the peace process by May is unrealistic, given Putin's intransigence. "Until there is enough pressure," Zelensky said, "they play." "They say, look, this is a time for compromises. You can make some steps forward. We made a lot of compromises. Putin and his friends, they are not in prison. This is the biggest compromise what the world made already." And Zelensky boasted he will outlast Putin. "I'm younger than Putin — this is important," Zelensky said. "He doesn't have too much time." ZELENSKY OFFERS TO 'GIVE A CEASEFIRE TO THE RUSSIANS IF THEY DO ELECTIONS' IN MUNICH PLEA IRAN TALKS RESUME: Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be dealing again with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, but it is unclear if they will meet face to face. The second round of talks comes as President Trump has ramped up the pressure on Tehran, by dispatching a second aircraft carrier strike for the Gulf region. "Well, in case we don't make a deal, we'll need it. If we don't have a deal, we'll need it," Trump said Friday. In his comments to reporters on Air Force One last night, Trump said he would be involved in the talks "indirectly" and that they'd be "very important," while expressing confidence that Iran wants to make a deal. "I think they'll be successful," Trump said Friday. "And if they're not, it's going to be a bad day for Iran, very bad." NETANYAHU CALLS FOR DISMANTLING OF NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT IN US-IRAN DEAL THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Second round of US-Iran nuclear talks set for next week in Geneva Washington Examiner: Saudi-UAE feud undercuts US moves to neutralize Iran permanently: 'Knock it off' Washington Examiner: Netanyahu calls for dismantling of nuclear equipment in US-Iran deal Washington Examiner: Pentagon looking to replace massive bombs used in Iran attack Washington Examiner: Zelensky offers to 'give a ceasefire to the Russians if they do elections' in Munich plea Washington Examiner: Russia denies European allegation that Kremlin poisoned Navalny Washington Examiner: Alexei Navalny's widow demands 'accountability' for Putin after European leaders say husband was poisoned Washington Examiner: Ukraine charges former energy minister in corruption case Washington Examiner: Rubio boasts of 'golden era of relations' between US and Hungary Washington Examiner: Pentagon policy chief rejects US as 'great empire' in Munich push for 'stability model' Washington Examiner: UK sending its largest warship to Arctic to deter Russia Washington Examiner: Roughly 100 US troops arrive in Nigeria to train soldiers fighting Islamic terrorists Washington Examiner: Government withdraws published annual list of companies with Chinese military ties Washington Examiner: Republicans rise up against new ICE detention centers Washington Examiner: Tom Homan becomes Trump's 'de facto' DHS secretary: 'Absolutely saved the day' Washington Examiner: Small 'security force' to stay in Minnesota despite ICE surge ending Washington Examiner: Trump slams 'loser' Newsom's energy deal with UK as 'inappropriate' Washington Examiner: UK sending its largest warship to Arctic to deter Russia Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Chancellor Merz has earned the Trump administration's ear Washington Examiner: AP: Rubio plugs Orbán's bid for another term after April elections during a visit to Budapest AP: Hungarian opposition leader Magyar vows to pull Hungary back toward the West in campaign launch The Atlantic: Interview With Volodymyr Zelensky Politico: Zelenskyy pushes US to intensify pressure on Russia Wall Street Journal: Starlink Shutdown Blunts Russia's Newest Battlefield Advantage Politico: US Ambassador to NATO: America Is 'Not Leaving' Europe Defense News: Pentagon Official Blesses Europe's Push to Spend Defense Money at Home New York Times: Deep in China's Mountains, a Nuclear Revival Takes Shape Washington Post: US military boards another oil tanker in Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Kyiv Independent: In Germany, Ukrainian veteran's role in Nord Stream attack tests wartime law Washington Post: Transfer of ISIS suspects concludes as Trump pursues Syria exit The Atlantic: Norway Faces Up to Trump's Demands for the Nobel Peace Prize Air & Space Forces Magazine: El Paso Airspace Shutdown Is 'Case Study' in Complexity of Counter-Drone Ops: Experts DefenseScoop: Pentagon Could Award Just 3 Vendors for Biggest Phase of Drone Dominance Program Breaking Defense: Project Hecate: The Space Force's Quiet Effort to Keep GPS Survivable After 2040 Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Working with Collins, Shield AI to Build Autonomy Software for CCAs The War Zone: F-35 Software Could Be Jailbreaked Like An iPhone: Dutch Defense Secretary Breaking Defense: FCAS May Survive, but Next-Gen Fighter Negotiations All but Dead: Industry Source Air & Space Forces Magazine: How the Space Force Is Managing Growth at Its Busiest Launch Range Washington Post: Mike Pompeo Opinion: America is looking at a dangerous gamble in Syria THE CALENDAR: TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 17 8:30 a.m. — Georgetown University Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues virtual discussion: "Chinese and Latin American Responses to the U.S. Intervention in Venezuela," with Guo Jio, associate professor, Peking University School of International Studies; Leland Lazarus, founder and CEO, Lazarus Consulting LLC; Oliver Della Costa Stuenkel, senior fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Evan Medeiros, chair in Asian studies, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and senior fellow at Georgetown University Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues https://uschinadialogue.georgetown.edu/events 9:30 a.m. 419 Dirksen — U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission hearing: "India, China, and the Balance of Power in the Indo-Pacific," with Tanvi Madan, senior fellow, Brookings Institution; Sameer Lalwani, external senior adviser, Special Competitive Studies Project and senior fellow, German Marshall Fund; Lindsey Ford, adjunct senior fellow, Center for a New American Security, Soumya Bhowmick, fellow, Observer Research Foundation; Tarun Chhabra, visiting fellow, Hoover Institution; and Chan Harjivan, visiting fellow, Duke University Margolis Institute for Health Policy, https://www.uscc.gov 10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: "The End of the New START Treaty," with Christopher Yeaw, assistant secretary of state for arms control and nonproliferation https://www.hudson.org/events/assistant-secretary-state-christopher-yeaw 10 a.m. — Atlantic Council discussion: "Turkey's evolving role in a new global geopolitical and security order," with former Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio, Atlantic Council board member; Brenda Shaffer, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center; Defne Arslan, senior director, Atlantic Council Turkey Program; Pinar Dost, nonresident fellow, Atlantic Council: Turkey Program; and Rich Outzen, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council: Turkey Program https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/turkeys-evolving-role WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 18 10 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council Latin America Center discussion: "Venezuela's Public Opinion in the Post-Maduro Era," with Mark Feierstein, senior adviser at the DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group; Luz Mely Reyes, co-founder and general director of Efecto Cocuyo; and Geoff Ramsey, senior Latin America threat intelligence analyst, Recorded Future https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/venezuelas-public-opinion 10 a.m. — Center for European Policy Analysis Zoom press briefing discussing two reports, "Ukraine 2036: How Today Investments Will Shape Tomorrow Security" and "Wartime Assistance to Ukraine." with Marianna Fakhurdinova, coordinator, EU–Ukraine Partnership Program, Transatlantic Dialogue Center; Uliana Movchan, Ax:son Johnson Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis; Kseniya Sotnikova, Ax:son Johnson Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis; and moderator: Elina Beketova, fellow, Democratic Resilience, Center for European Policy Analysis https://cepa.rsvpify.com/cepapressbriefingukraine 1:30 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion about a new report: "Adversary at the Table: Negotiating with Putin's Russia," with co-author Donald Jensen, adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Arts and Sciences; and co-author Iuliia Osmolovska, head of the Kiev office of GLOBSEC https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/report-launch 5 p.m. — Pew Charitable Trusts and Disagree Better virtual discussion: "The state of U.S. democracy," with Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK), chairman, National Governors Association; Gov. Wes Moore (D-MG), vice chairman, National Governors Association; Gov. Spencer J. Cox (R-UT); Steve Inskeep, host of NPR's Morning Edition; and Susan Urahn, president and CEO, Pew Charitable Trusts https://web.cvent.com/event/ 6 p.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Fletcher School at Tufts University discussion: "The State of Civil-Military Relations in 2026 and Beyond," with Eliot Cohen, chair in strategy, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Kori Schake, director of foreign policy studies, American Enterprise Institute; Saskia Brechenmacher, senior fellow, CEIP Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program; Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics, Fletcher School at Tufts University; and Kelly Sims Gallagher, nonresident scholar, CEIP Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics Program https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/01/the-state-of-civil-military-relations 8 p.m. — Jews United for Democracy and Justice virtual discussion: "Collapsing Norms: Can American Democracy Survive This Stress Test?" with Susan Glasser, American journalist and news editor; and Madeleine Brand, host of the daily news and culture show Press Play https://www.jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/blog/event THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 19 9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: "Japan's Election and Implications for Korea and U.S," with Kristi Govella, associate professor at the University of Oxford; Philip Luck, CSIS chair in international business; Victor Cha, CSIS Korea chair; and Mark Lippert, CSIS nonresident senior adviser https://www.csis.org/events/japans-election-and-implications 11 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE — Heritage Foundation book discussion: The Great Heist: China's Epic Campaign to Steal America's Secrets, with author David Shedd, former acting director, Defense Intelligence Agency https://www.heritage.org/china/event/chinas-epic-intelligence-heist-insights-david-shedd 11 a.m. — Foreign Policy virtual discussion: beginning at 11 a.m., on "Decoding Trump's China Policy.," with former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell https://foreignpolicy.com/live/kurt-campbell-trump-china-policy 12:30 p.m. 125 E St. NW — Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy discussion: "What is the 'Trump Doctrine?' with Peter Bergen, CNN national security analyst, and vice president for global studies and fellows at New America https://events.georgetown.edu/event/37826-what-is-the-trump-doctrine 2 p.m. 37th and O Sts. NW — Georgetown University Security Studies Program; and GU Bern Security Dialogue Initiative event: "Alpine Security in a Fragmented World, the launch of the new Bern Security Dialogue initiative, with former Joint Chiefs Chairman retired Army Gen. Mark Milley; and retired Lt. Gen. Jurgen-Joachim van Sandrart, former commanding general of the NATO Multinational Corps North-East https://events.georgetown.edu/event/bern-security-dialogue 4 p.m. — Jewish Democratic Council of America virtual discussion: "What Comes Next in Iran?" with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro; Dana Stroul, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East; and Holly Dagres, Middle East analyst and Iran expert https://www.mobilize.us/jewishdems/event 5 p.m. 16th St. NW — Institute of World Politics lecture: "The War in Ukraine: An Update from the Front," with Glen Corn, 34-year veteran of the U.S. intelligence and foreign affairs communities and founding partner of Varyag https://www.iwp.edu/the-war-in-ukraine-an-update-from-the-front FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 20 10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: "Engineering the Future of Deterrence: Integrating Advanced Systems for Modern Security," with Laura McGill, director, Sandia National Laboratories https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/registration-coming-soon/ 2 p.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Cato Institute book discussion: Retrench, Defend, Compete: Securing America's Future Against a Rising China, with author Charles Glaser, senior fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Security Studies Program; Patricia Kim, Brookings Institution fellow in foreign policy; and Evan Sankey, Cato policy analyst https://www.cato.org/events/retrench-defend-compete TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 24 7 p.m. — President Donald Trump delivers 2026 State of the Union Address to a joint meeting of Congress | | | | QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The world has entered a period of wrecking-ball politics. Sweeping destruction — rather than careful reforms and policy corrections — is the order of the day. The most prominent of those who promise to free their country from the existing order's constraints and rebuild a stronger, more prosperous nation is the current US administration. As a result, more than 80 years after construction began, the U.S.-led post-1945 international order is now under destruction." | | The Munich Security Report 2026, titled "Under Destruction" |
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