Μake us preferred on Google Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded their meeting at the Maximos Mansion early Wednesday evening, with both sides hailing the strength of Greece-US relations, as they noted, and emphasizing energy, connectivity, shipping and regional stability.
During their opening exchange, Mitsotakis told Rubio that bilateral relations “are at their highest level ever,” describing Greece as “a pillar of stability in a troubled region and a bridge between Europe, the West, the US, the Middle East and the Arab world.”
He also highlighted energy and connectivity as important pillars of the bilateral relationship, noting that Greece has invested in becoming a gateway for US liquefied natural gas to Europe.
Mitsotakis underscored the importance of Greek ocean-going shipping and its role in the transportation of goods worldwide.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis meets the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Maximos Mansion, in Athens, Greece on October 7, 2026. Marco Rubio visits Athens to lead the U.S. delegation at the Sixth round of the Greece–U.S. Strategic Dialogue that takes places on the same day in Athens, Greece. Dimitris Kapantais / SOOC
We have you as such a strong partner, and we continue to strengthen this relationship in a way that is mutually beneficial, Rubio said.
The US secretary of state described the relationship as “a very strong partnership,” adding that the two countries agree that they face the same problems and, “most of the time, we also agree on the right solution.”
The meeting followed Rubio’s high-profile address at the Pnyx, where he used the setting beneath the west side of the Acropolis, just before sunset, to discuss the future of the West, the US commitment to national power and the importance of the transatlantic relationship.
An official reception in Rubio’s honor followed the talks at the Maximos Mansion, bringing his two-day visit to Athens to a close.
Rubio Invokes Ancient Athens in Pnyx Address on West’s Future
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio placed ancient Athens at the center of his message to the West on Wednesday, delivering a high-profile address from the Pnyx with the Acropolis and Parthenon rising behind him.
The choice of venue carried powerful symbolism. The Pnyx is where citizens of ancient Athens gathered to debate and decide matters of public life, making it one of the most important physical symbols of the development of democratic political participation.
The address was carried live by most Greek television stations, underscoring the importance attached in Greece to Rubio’s visit and to a speech whose setting gave it particular resonance. For US-Greek relations, the event offered a striking visual expression of the two countries’ shared historical narrative, placing their alliance within a broader story of political thought, democratic institutions and Western civilization.
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Rubio argued that the West needs to recover qualities that emerged with particular force in ancient Greece: curiosity, courage, ambition and a determination to explore and discover the unknown.
The ancient Greeks, he said, did not simply seek safety and comfort, but competed, explored, invented and attempted things that had never been attempted before.
The Parthenon itself became part of his argument. Pointing to the monument above him, Rubio observed that “the men who made the Parthenon built upwards,” presenting it as evidence of a civilization unwilling to accept limits and determined to pursue excellence.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiling a new embassy sign alongside US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (INTIME NEWS)
He then traced that inheritance through Rome and Christianity and ultimately to the founding of the American Republic, calling on Americans and Europeans to recognize their shared heritage and participate in what he described as “a great renewal of the Western spirit.”
Rubio argued that contemporary Western societies have lost some of those qualities, becoming excessively concerned with safety, comfort and avoiding risk. The alternative, he said, is to recover the ambition and willingness to compete and undertake difficult projects that characterized earlier generations.
From history, the speech moved directly into foreign policy.
Rubio challenged what he described as an increasingly fashionable belief that enlightened foreign policy should prioritize the interests of the “global community” over those of a country’s own citizens.
The ancient Greeks, he argued, understood that there was nothing selfish about loyalty to one’s nation or defending its interests. National loyalty, duty and sacrifice, he said, are legitimate and necessary components of a healthy political order.
Sessions of the 6th Round of the Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue at a Hotel in Athens, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, with Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (POOL / ANA-MPA / Orestis Panagiotou)
The argument provided a direct bridge to the Trump administration’s America First doctrine.
Rubio portrayed the United States as standing at a historic crossroads and declared: “The next decade will write the story of the next century.”
The choice, he said, will determine whether the West retains its position at the forefront of the world or accepts what he described as “atrophy, servitude, and decline.”
The Trump administration, Rubio said, has already made its choice. “Under President Trump, the United States has made its choice. We choose the unapologetic pursuit of national power.”
He linked that pursuit to rebuilding US manufacturing, strengthening the military, securing critical supply chains and maintaining technological leadership in areas including artificial intelligence, drones, advanced weapons, semiconductors, critical minerals, cybersecurity, energy and space.
The secretary of state also invoked the idea of heroism and sacrifice, contrasting the Western ideal of people prepared to sacrifice themselves for a cause with what he characterized as the glorification of death by Iran’s leadership. “Our heroes may be willing to die for their cause; but they do not worship death.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at the Pnyx hill, where ancient Athenians held democratic assemblies, with the ancient Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis in the background, in Athens, Greece October 7, 2026. Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS.
The setting gave the speech an additional layer of meaning. Rubio used the historic site associated with Athenian public debate to make a contemporary argument about Western identity, national sovereignty, technological competition, military strength and the future distribution of global power.
For Greece, the address placed Athens and its ancient heritage on an extraordinary international stage. For Washington and Athens, it offered a powerful representation of an alliance framed not only around contemporary security and strategic interests but also around a shared understanding of Western history and political values.
Rubio concluded with an appeal for Americans and Europeans to renew the Western spirit, defend their shared heritage and confront what he presented as a new era of great-power competition.
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