Special Coverage: A Conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio

<p>Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Europe&rsquo;s fate is intertwined with the US while faulting the continent for what he said was a drift away from their shared Western values.&nbsp;<br />The double-edged message offered some reassurance to allied leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference but did little to temper their push for more independence from Washington.&nbsp;<br />&ldquo;We want Europe to prosper because we&rsquo;re interconnected in so many different ways, and because our alliance is so critical,&rdquo; Rubio told Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait on the sidelines of the conference on Saturday. &ldquo;But it has to be an alliance of allies that are capable and willing to fight for who they are and what&rsquo;s important.&rdquo;<br />&ldquo;What is it that binds us together? Ultimately, it&rsquo;s the fact that we are both heirs to the same civilization, and it&rsquo;s a great civilization,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s one we should be proud of.&rdquo;<br />Rubio&rsquo;s comments elaborated on a speech he delivered to the event, Europe&rsquo;s premier annual security gathering, earlier Saturday morning. The speech was the most anticipated of the three-day conference, with fellow leaders eager to hear if he would double down on the contemptuous tone voiced a year earlier by Vice President JD Vance at the same venue.</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>