Rubio at Munich Conference, where Kosovo is expected to participate

The American top diplomat, Marco Rubio, will travel to Germany later this week and lead a high-level delegation to the Munich Security Conference before heading towards Slovakia and Hungary.

Munich's 62nd Conference will be held from 13 February to 15 February, where hundreds of world leaders, including Kosovo, are expected to attend. In Munich she is expected to be Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, incumbent Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and Kosovo Intelligence Agency chief Petrit Ajeti.

Serbia is also expected to have representatives at the Conference, including President Aleksandar Vuciq, top diplomat Marko Djurovic, and several other ministers. Meanwhile, other countries of the region are expected to be represented in Munich with senior officials, including prime ministers.

Ruby's participation in this conference occurs at an important moment, when Washington and European allies are facing growing distrust regarding security, trade and the future of the transatlantic alliance, and these tensions are expected to dominate discussions in Munich.

Russia's war in Ukraine, which in late February enters in the fifth year, is expected to be the main topic of discussion at the Conference, but also tensions surrounding Iran.

Ruby's participation in the Conference in Germany will be followed by a diplomatic tour of Bratislava and Budapest on February 15th and 16th, highlighting the American administration's focus in Central Europe at a time of strategic uncertainty.

In Slovakia, he is expected to meet with senior officials to advance regional security co-operation and nuclear energy projects, the US State Department said. In Hungary, meanwhile, the focus will be on bilateral reports and peace efforts aimed at resolving world conflicts.

The main point of Rubyo's trip will be the speech in Munich on February 14th, which is expected to be watched with attention, separately after US Vice President JD Vance's speech last year had a big echo.

At that world, Vance's statements when he accused European leaders of suppressing freedom of expression and failure in managing migration left behind a sense of concern in Brussels and beyond.

This sense of uncertainty is reflected in the annual report of the Munich Security Conference, drawn up by forum organisers and published this week, which warns that Europe is facing a prolonging “poque confrontation” driven by Russian aggression.

Transatlantic Tensions

According to the report, the biggest challenge for international liberal order may already come “from within”, referring to what it describes as a tectonic change in the way the US is thinking of alliances.

Calling US President Donald Trump, the most powerful “among those cleaving to existing rules and institutions”, the authors of the report predict that “transactional agreements can replace the co-operation built on principles... and regions can be dominated by major powers instead of being governed by international rules and standards”.

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, has strongly rejected the assessment of a “internal threat”, arguing Washington intends to rebalancing, not destroying, the post-war order.

Speaking to reporters on February 9th, Whitaker rejected the idea that the US is leaving stable alliances.

“We're trying to NATO is the strongest”, he said, arguing that pressure on European allies to spend more on defence is related to increased capacities, not on abandoning the alliance.

As for trade, he presented the US position as an answer to what he called unfair inequality.

As for Greenland, which Trump said wants the U.S. to take over, Whitaker said this goal is about security concerns related to Russia and China. / REL/ Periscopi/