Bratislava, Slovakia - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that the US does not want a "vassal" Europe, the day after a speech where he called on Europeans to embrace President Donald Trump's vision for "renewal" of the global order.

"We're not asking Europe to be a vassal of the United States," Rubio said during a brief visit to Bratislava, following his appearance at the Munich Security Conference.

"We want to be your partner. We want to work with Europe. We want to work with our allies."

Rubio told European leaders in Munich that they should rally behind Trump to defend "Western civilization," which Rubio said is in danger of "erasure" by mass migration and cultural and industrial decline.

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Rubio moved on from Munich to some of Trump's staunchest right-wing allies in Europe. He met with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and then flew to Budapest where he is to meet nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday.

At a press conference with Fico, Rubio asserted that Trump wanted to strengthen ties with Central Europe.

He also emphasized that it was in the US interest to have "a strong Europe" more broadly at a time when transatlantic relations are turbulent. He rejected the notion that the US would feel threatened by a more independent Europe.

Fico has embraced a similar strand of right-wing nationalism to Trump and cultivated close ties with Trump's MAGA movement.

During a recent visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Fico reportedly expressed concern about the US president's mental state, according to Politico, which cited anonymous European diplomats. Washington and Bratislava vehemently denied the report.

The Slovak leader said after the Mar-a-Lago meeting that he and Trump had had "extremely important" discussions on nuclear energy.

Slovakia shares a 60-mile border with Ukraine, and Fico on Sunday praised Trump's "approach" to the war there, which he described as "rational and pragmatic." Fico said, however, that the conflict would not be resolved in the near future.

Rubio said he appreciated the remarks and the stakes for Slovakia, saying that the US role is to "facilitate an end to a very deadly, very bloody, very, very costly war, with horrible suffering."

The US chief diplomat then departed for Budapest, where Orban is facing his toughest electoral challenge since returning to power in 2010.

Trump has openly supported the Hungarian nationalist leader, whom he describes as a "strong and powerful man," ahead of parliamentary elections on April 12.

Orban's Fidesz party trails opposition leader Peter Magyar's TISZA party in opinion polls.