Rubio, in Athens, ties ancient values to 'America First'
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio walks with Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis (not pictured) on the day of the sixth round of the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue in Athens, Greece, October 7, 2026. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi
By Jonathan Landay
ATHENS, Oct 7 (Reuters) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged Western nations to embrace the ancient Greek values of "heroism, honor, and duty", tying the ideals to President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda.
"It's become fashionable today to believe that enlightened foreign policy means prioritizing the global community over one's own people," Rubio told Greek officials, diplomats and other invitees.
With the ruins of the Parthenon in the distance behind him, he said the men of ancient Greece "knew that there was nothing selfish or wrong about loyalty to your nation."
Rubio, a potential contender for the Republican nomination to succeed Trump in 2028, delivered the speech from the Pnyx, where ancient Athens' popular assembly once met.
Rubio's speech echoed Vice President JD Vance's February 2025 Munich Security Conference speech, which cast Europe's challenges as a retreat from shared Western values and drew rebukes from the continent's leaders.
That was followed by Trump's November 2025 National Security Strategy, which warned that Europe faced "civilization erasure" from migration and challenges to national sovereignty.
"Today, we find ourselves at a crossroads, because the next decade and the decisions we make will write the story of the next century," Rubio said. "The course we take will determine whether the West maintains its place at the head of the world, or resigns itself to a future of atrophy, and servitude, and decline."
"Under President Trump, the United States has made its choice," Rubio added. "We choose the unapologetic pursuit of national power."
Rubio is visiting three European NATO allies as part of a trip that began in Iceland. Earlier on Wednesday, Rubio and his Greek counterpart reaffirmed close US-Greek security, energy and trade ties. He concludes the trip with talks with Portuguese officials on Thursday in Lisbon.
(Reporting by Jonathan Landay in Athens; Additional reporting by Simon Lewis in Washington; Editing by Alison Williams and Deepa Babington)
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