US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken of a defining moment and a "new era" as he travels to Europe for a major speech at the Munich Security Conference.
Rubio will lead the American delegation to the first major global event since President Donald Trump threatened Danish sovereignty with a promise to annex Greenland.
French President Emmanuel Macron has insisted that Europe must prepare for independence from the US, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stressed that transatlantic ties are closer and more important than ever.
The war in Ukraine, tensions with China and a possible nuclear deal between Iran and the US are also on the agenda as the security conference begins.
"The world is changing very quickly in front of us," Rubio said.
"We live in a new era in geopolitics and it will require all of us to reconsider what that looks like and what our role will be," he added.
At last year's conference, US Vice President JD Vance attacked Europe, including the UK, over policies on free speech and immigration.
His speech sparked a year of unprecedented transatlantic tensions.
Otherwise, this year around 50 world leaders will participate in the conference, which will discuss European defense and the future of transatlantic relations at a time when US commitments to NATO have been called into question.
Tensions have risen in recent months, as Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland is vital to US national security.
Rubio is expected to avoid following Vance's tough approach from last year, but, when asked if he planned to be more conciliatory, he said that Europeans "want to know where we're going, where we'd like to go, where we'd like to go with them." /Telegraph/
