At this year's 62nd Munich Security Conference, the uneasy question hanging over the halls was not about a single crisis but about a relationship: are the United States and Europe, long bound by a transatlantic alliance, slowly drifting apart?

From disputes over Greenland's sovereignty to diverging approaches on Ukraine and global governance, the conference revealed a partnership under visible strain. While Washington maintained its "America First" posture, European leaders spoke with growing urgency and more assertiveness about "strategic autonomy."

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'Under destruction'

Days before the conference opened, organizers unveiled the 2026 Munich Security Report in Berlin with a stark theme: "under destruction."

The report argues that the world has entered an era of "wrecking-ball politics," in which established international norms and institutions, especially those shaped in the post-World-War II era, are being actively challenged and dismantled rather than simply reformed.

Tobias Bunde, director of research and policy at the Munich Security Conference and one of the report's principal authors, characterized this shift as a break with the United States' post-World War II strategic paradigm. Bunde argued that the traditional U.S. strategy rested on long-standing commitments to multilateral institutions, economic integration, and the view that democracy and human rights are strategic assets, pillars that he said have been weakened or openly questioned in recent U.S. policy.

For European policymakers, this assessment carries particular weight. The post-war transatlantic partnership was built on precisely those foundations.

The report framed the conference discussions not as a temporary disagreement between allies, but as a moment of strategic redefinition – one in which Europe must confront the possibility that the United States is recalibrating its global role in ways that directly affect the transatlantic pact.

Greenland 'is not for sale'

The fault lines became concrete in discussions over Greenland.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen again told delegates at the Munich Security Conference that Greenland "is not for sale," responding to renewed U.S. interest in the strategically located Arctic territory. Sovereignty and the right to self-determination, she insisted, are not negotiable.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez echoed her stance, stressing that territorial integrity must not become a bargaining chip.

Asked if Trump still wanted to own the Arctic island, Frederiksen said, "Unfortunately, I think the desire is the same."

"Everybody asks us, do we think it's over? I mean, no, we don't think it's over," she said, participating in a panel discussion on Arctic security.

For many Europeans, the episode symbolized a broader concern that Washington's strategic calculations can sometimes override allied sensitivities.

Zelenskyy: U.S. 'too often' asks Ukraine to make concessions

In Munich, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the U.S. of focusing on Ukrainian concessions on the Ukrainian crisis.

"The Americans often return to the topic of concessions," Zelenskyy said as he addressed key allies at the Munich Security Conference. "Too often those concessions are discussed in the context only of Ukraine, not Russia."

Zelenskyy admitted he felt "a little bit" pressure from Washington but emphasized that Ukraine has already made significant compromises.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi argued that Europe should not remain a bystander in the process when asked about China's role in resolving regional conflicts, particularly the Ukraine crisis. "Europe should not be on the menu, but at the table," he said.

He recalled that after dialogue between the United States and Russia began early last year, Europe appeared to have been sidelined. He said that, since the conflict is taking place on European soil, Europe has the right to and should participate in the negotiations.

A strong "Europe First" flavor wafts over Munich

In Munich, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Europe to become a "geopolitical power." "The Europeans must start this work with their own thinking and their own interests."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned of external pressures from trade disputes to regulatory conflicts that demand a more independent Europe.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took a veiled swipe at U.S. unilateralism, stating that Germany rejects the "culture war" of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, upholds human dignity and the Basic Law, supports free trade over protectionism, and remains committed to climate agreements and the World Health Organization.

Even rhetorical gestures from Washington failed to reassure. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Security and Defense, warned against interpreting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's speech at the Munich Security Conference as a sign of easing tensions in transatlantic relations.

"It was a poisoned declaration of love," Strack-Zimmermann commented. "There was absolutely nothing reassuring about that speech."

"Rubio may have chosen a different tone than U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Security Conference a year ago. But he conjured up a world that is not ours," she added.