Greece deserves a strong ambassador with access to the US president and his full confidence, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, stressing that the change in leadership at the US embassy in Athens does not signal a downgrading of Greek-American relations.
In an interview with Matthew Boyle of Breitbart News, the top US diplomat described Greece as a significant ally for energy independence, regional stability and NATO. He placed particular emphasis on its potential to produce and transport energy between Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Referring to his speech at the Pnyx, with the Acropolis in the background, he also linked US foreign policy to the West’s shared cultural heritage.
On the choice of a successor to Kimberly Guilfoyle in Athens, Mr Rubio clarified that, at the time of the interview, the process was still at an early stage. He said it would take time to identify the right person and complete the process of confirming the appointment.
“Greece is an important country, a very important one. It is a great ally of the United States,” he said. “It has helped us in so many ways, and it is important to our future.”
He stressed that Greece is a key pillar for important US priorities, including energy independence, regional stability and NATO.
“Greece deserves a strong, capable ambassador who has access to the president and his confidence,” he said, assuring that Washington would ensure an appropriate team was in place at the embassy in the meantime.
“Under no circumstances should any of this be seen as a downgrading of the relationship with Greece. On the contrary, I think it is so important to us that the person there must have the president’s full support and confidence,” he said.
He explained that the aim was to choose an ambassador worthy of Greece and of the importance of the bilateral relationship.
Greece’s role in energy
Mr Rubio highlighted both Greece’s geographical position and its positive attitude towards energy exploration, saying that together they offered significant potential.
“I think Greece is in a particularly unique position, both geographically and politically,” he said. He noted that the country is open to energy exploration, approaches it with enthusiasm and appears to have public support.
He also stressed its importance as a corridor for building pipelines and energy transport infrastructure, noting that the use of energy depends on the ability to move it, whether it is oil, natural gas or electricity.
“It has always been the link between Europe, Africa and the Middle East,” he said of Greece. “As well as producing energy, it can help transport it north to Europe and south to Israel, the Middle East and beyond.”
In his view, Greece’s geography gives it advantages in the energy sector today, as it has historically done in trade and other economic activities.
Criticism of European energy policy
The US secretary of state argued that the international crisis had served as a reminder of the decisive role energy plays in everyday life, industry and defence. He criticised policies that restrict the use of fossil fuels by driving up their cost, as well as Europe’s inadequate development of domestic energy sources.
He recalled Donald Trump’s warnings during his first presidential term about Germany’s dependence on Russian energy, and argued that this dependence influenced Moscow’s calculations before its invasion of Ukraine.
“Their dependence on Russian energy is one of the reasons Putin invaded Ukraine, because he thought he could do it, because he thought Europe would do nothing about it,” he said.
He also said European countries were beginning to draw lessons, but would need time to undo energy choices made over two decades. He also linked high electricity and transport costs to economic stagnation in many of them.
The Pnyx speech and the Western heritage
Referring to his speech at the Pnyx, Mr Rubio said its message was at the heart of the approach the US administration sought to incorporate into its foreign policy.
“We are the heirs. We inherited from Greece and Rome, and ultimately through Europe, many of the values on which our country is based today,” he said.
He argued that US institutions and values were the product of thousands of years of history, and that recognising this heritage was not an attack on other cultures.
“Every civilisation should be proud of itself,” he said, adding that, in his view, the West was apologetic about its history and achievements, with consequences for foreign policy as well.
On what Americans today take for granted, from prosperity to their system of government, he said: “They come from a shared history that we must rediscover and embrace. That is what we are doing here, in this country, under President Trump. We want more Western leaders to do the same.”
He said he was seeing growing interest from other leaders, particularly in private conversations. But he said turning that attitude into policy took time, as fears remained of criticism from the far left, the media, academia and the entrenched bureaucracy.
He predicted that more leaders would express these views publicly and be elected, thereby influencing their countries’ positions on the West’s shared interests.
Russian diesel and US interests
On Ukraine and Russia, Mr Rubio defended the temporary easing of sanctions on Russian diesel to increase supply on the global market.
He explained that the decision was intended to meet the needs of the US economy, although it could also benefit other countries.
“If there is a conflict between what is good for them and what is good for us, we must always choose what is good for us,” he said, referring to the priority given to US national interests.
The decision, he added, was made “not because it is bad for Ukraine or good for Russia, but because it is good and important for America.”
On the prospects for ending the war, he presented the disagreement over control of Donetsk as a key obstacle to negotiations. He said Russia was demanding the entire region, while Ukraine considered the defensive line it held there crucial to its security.
He said the US remained ready to mediate a deal, while acknowledging the difficulties. “We would like the war to end, but we also have other priorities around the world that we are focused on,” he said.
Asked about holding elections in Ukraine, he said the issue was not insignificant, but was not the main reason the war was continuing.
He also expressed displeasure over Ukrainian strikes on ships in the Black Sea that, he said, were carrying oil belonging to US companies, while clarifying that he did not believe Ukraine had deliberately targeted them. He added that President Trump was also displeased by Russian missile attacks that hit homes and kill civilians in Kyiv.
Iran and the security of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz
On Iran, Mr Rubio argued that US operations had weakened the conventional military capabilities that Tehran, in his assessment, sought to use as a shield while developing a nuclear weapon.
He said the US military presence was now focused on protecting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while sanctions and the blockade against Iran remained in place.
According to him, during the 10 days before the interview, an average of about 13 million to 14 million barrels of oil a day passed through the Strait, with US forces escorting and protecting ships from attacks.
Mr Rubio acknowledged that Iran was still firing on ships, but argued that the flow of oil to the international market had been largely restored. He also said that, because of the blockade, Iran was the only country unable to send even a single barrel of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
He added that economic pressure was limiting the resources Tehran could make available to its armed forces and to organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
On the Middle East more broadly, he described the Iranian regime as a key driver of war and instability in the region. He acknowledged the importance of the Palestinian issue, but argued that addressing Tehran’s role was a central prerequisite for resolving regional conflicts.
Source: AMNA, Breitbart News