Marco Rubio Says Greece Deserves Strong US Ambassador

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Greece deserves a strong US ambassador with direct access to President Donald Trump and his full confidence, stressing that a change in leadership at the US Embassy in Athens does not signal a downgrade in Greek-American relations.

In an interview with Matthew Boyle of Breitbart News, Rubio described Greece as an important US ally in energy independence, regional stability and NATO. He highlighted Greece’s potential to produce energy and serve as a transport corridor linking Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Rubio also discussed his speech at Pnyx, with the Acropolis in the background, connecting US foreign policy to the shared cultural heritage of Western civilisation.

Greece Deserves a Strong Ambassador

Addressing the selection of a successor to Kimberly Guilfoyle in Athens, Rubio said the process remained at an early stage at the time of the interview. He explained that the administration would need time to identify the right candidate and complete the appointment’s confirmation process.

“Greece is an important country, a very important country. It is a great ally of the United States,” Rubio said. “It has helped us in so many ways, and it is important to our future.”

He identified Greece as a key partner in advancing major US priorities, including energy independence, regional stability and NATO.

“Greece deserves a strong and good ambassador who has access to the president and his confidence,” Rubio said. He added that Washington would ensure the embassy maintained an appropriate team in the interim.

“Under no circumstances should any of this be considered a downgrade in the relationship with Greece. On the contrary, I believe it is so important to us that the person serving there must have the president’s full support and confidence,” he said.

Rubio stressed that the administration wanted to appoint an ambassador who reflected Greece’s importance and the strength of the bilateral relationship.

Greece’s Strategic Role in Energy

Rubio highlighted Greece’s geographical position and its openness to energy exploration, arguing that the combination created significant opportunities.

“I think Greece is in a particularly unique position, both geographically and politically,” he said.

He noted that Greece welcomed energy exploration and approached it enthusiastically, adding that public support for these activities also appeared strong.

Rubio also emphasised Greece’s potential to host pipelines and other infrastructure that could transport energy across borders. He argued that energy production alone was not enough: countries also needed the infrastructure to move oil, natural gas and electricity to consumers.

“Greece has always been the link between Europe, Africa and the Middle East,” he said. “Beyond producing energy, it can help transport it north towards Europe and south towards Israel, the Middle East and beyond.”

According to Rubio, Greece’s geography gives it significant advantages in the energy sector, much as it has historically supported trade and other economic activities.

Rubio Criticises European Energy Policy

The US secretary of state argued that the international crisis had reminded the world how essential energy is to everyday life, industry and defence. He criticised policies that seek to curb fossil fuel consumption by making it more expensive, as well as Europe’s failure to develop sufficient domestic energy sources.

Rubio recalled Donald Trump’s warnings during his first presidential term about Germany’s dependence on Russian energy. He argued that this dependence influenced Moscow’s calculations before Russia invaded Ukraine.

“Their dependence on Russian energy is one of the reasons Putin invaded Ukraine, because he believed he could do it, because he believed Europe would do nothing about it,” Rubio said.

He suggested that European countries were beginning to draw lessons from the crisis but would need time to reverse energy policies pursued over two decades. He also linked high electricity and transport costs to economic stagnation in many European countries.

Pnyx Speech Highlights Shared Western Heritage

Reflecting on his speech at Pnyx, Rubio said its message lay at the heart of the approach the US administration wanted 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 rests today,” he said.

Rubio argued that American institutions and values emerged from thousands of years of history. He said recognising that heritage did not amount to an attack on other civilisations.

“Every civilisation should be proud of itself,” he said.

He argued that Western societies often approached their own history and achievements apologetically, with consequences for their foreign policies.

Referring to the prosperity and political system that Americans often take for granted, Rubio 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.”

Rubio said he had noticed growing support for these views among other leaders, particularly in private conversations. However, he acknowledged that turning such attitudes into policy would take time because leaders feared criticism from the far left, the media, academia and established bureaucracies.

He predicted that more leaders would eventually express these views publicly and win elections, influencing how their countries approached the shared interests of the West.

Russian Diesel and US National Interests

Turning to the war in Ukraine and relations with Russia, Rubio defended the temporary easing of sanctions on Russian diesel to increase supplies on the global market.

He explained that the decision aimed to serve the needs of the US economy, even if other countries also benefited.

“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, emphasising the priority of US national interests.

He added that Washington had made the decision “not because it is bad for Ukraine or good for Russia, but because it is good and important for America”.

Rubio identified control of Donetsk as a major obstacle to negotiations aimed at ending the war. He said Russia wanted the entire region, while Ukraine regarded the defensive line it holds there as essential to its security.

He said the United States remained ready to mediate a settlement but acknowledged the difficulties involved.

“We would like the war to end, but we also have other priorities around the world on which we are focusing,” he said.

Asked about holding elections in Ukraine, Rubio said the issue mattered but was not the principal reason the war continued.

He also expressed frustration over Ukrainian strikes on vessels in the Black Sea that, according to him, carried oil belonging to American companies. However, he clarified that he did not believe Ukraine had deliberately targeted those vessels.

Rubio added that Trump was also unhappy with Russian missile attacks that hit residential buildings and killed civilians in Kyiv.

Iran and Security in the Strait of Hormuz

Rubio argued that US military operations had weakened Iran’s conventional military capabilities, which he said Tehran sought to use as a shield while pursuing a nuclear weapon.

He said the US military presence now focused on protecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while sanctions and a blockade against Iran remained in place.

According to Rubio, an average of approximately 13 million to 14 million barrels of oil passed through the strait each day during the 10 days preceding the interview. He said US forces escorted and protected vessels against attacks.

Rubio acknowledged that Iran continued to attack ships but maintained that oil flows to international markets had largely recovered. He also claimed that the blockade had left Iran as the only country unable to ship any oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

He added that economic pressure was restricting the resources Tehran could devote to its armed forces and groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas.

More broadly, Rubio described Iran’s leadership as a central source of conflict and instability in the Middle East. While acknowledging the importance of the Palestinian issue, he argued that addressing Tehran’s regional role was essential to resolving conflicts across the region.

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