BRUSSELS (Realist English). U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Andrew Puzder said the Trump administration has helped Europe “wake up” and move more decisively on key challenges, including security and migration.
Speaking to Euronews’ Europe Today program, Puzder described Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent address at the Munich Security Conference as a constructive message for the transatlantic alliance.
“It is a hallmark of a great diplomat to say what people need to hear, even if they may not want to hear it,” Puzder said, arguing that Rubio’s call for closer alignment between the United States and Europe was well received. He noted that the audience response this year contrasted with the cooler reception given to U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance at the same conference last year.
According to Puzder, European leaders are increasingly adjusting their migration policies in a direction closer to Washington’s approach. He drew a distinction between “managed” and “mass” migration, arguing that large-scale arrivals over the past decade have had social and political consequences across the continent.
While official data show migrant arrivals to the EU have declined in recent years, Puzder said the longer-term impact of previous migration waves remains a central issue in transatlantic discussions.
The ambassador also cited climate policy and its economic implications as an area where Europe faces difficult trade-offs, particularly in relation to growth and competitiveness.
Rubio’s visit to Munich was part of a broader European tour that included stops in Slovakia and Hungary. His meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — a key ally of U.S. President Donald Trump within the EU — drew scrutiny amid Hungary’s upcoming elections.
Puzder rejected suggestions of political interference, saying Hungary remains a U.S. ally and an EU member state, and that diplomatic engagement with Budapest was appropriate within the framework of longstanding bilateral ties.