At the Munich Security Conference, European leaders responded to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's critical remarks with a call for greater self-confidence and a defense of European values. Kaja Kallas, the EU's chief diplomat, directly challenged Rubio's assessment of Europe's decline, highlighting Estonia's high ranking in press freedom and noting global interest in joining the EU. While some Eastern European representatives, like Latvia's President Edgars Rinkevics, acknowledged concerns about immigration policy, there was broad agreement on the need for increased defense spending, with Germany pledging to double its defense budget by the end of the decade. France's Minister for European Affairs, Benjamin Haddad, emphasized Europe's growing responsibility in supporting Ukraine and advised a more stoic focus on internal strengths.