WASHINGTON, February 13. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that during his visit to Europe he plans to discuss a "defining moment" the world is facing and the role of the United States and its allies.

"I think it's (the world - TASS) at a defining moment. <…> The world is changing very fast right in front of us. The old world is gone, frankly, the world I grew up in, and we live in a new era in geopolitics, and it's going to require all of us to sort of re-examine what that looks like and what our role is going to be," he told reporters before flying to Europe to attend the Munich Security Conference.

"We've had many of these conversations in private with many of our allies <…> and we need to continue to have those conversations," Rubio added.

He noted that Europe is a very important region for the US and that its history is closely linked to that of America. "We're very tightly linked to Europe. I think most people in this country can trace both either their cultural or their personal heritage back to Europe. So we're deeply tied to Europe, and our futures have always been linked and will continue to be," the secretary of state said.

During his visit to Europe on February 13-16, Rubio plans to travel to Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary.

The Munich Security Conference will run from February 13 to 15. It will bring together heads of state and government from around 65 countries, as well as foreign and defense ministers from more than 90 states. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will open the conference. Russia has not participated in the forum in recent years.