US Vice President JD Vance launched a scald attack on European democracies, saying that the biggest threat to the continent is not from Russia and China, but from the inside.
Vance is expected to use his speech at the Munich Security Conference to resolve possible negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Instead, he spent most people accusing the European government (including the UK) of withdrawing from its values and ignoring voters’ concerns about immigration and freedom of speech.
The address was met in silence in the hall and was later condemned by several politicians at the meeting. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said it was “unacceptable”.
Vance repeated the boundaries of the Trump administration that Europe must “greatly improve its defense.”
The Ukrainian war was mentioned as the Ukrainian war after U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that he and Russia’s Vladimir Putin agreed to start peace talks, and he hopes to achieve it. “Reasonable solution.”
But Vance’s speech otherwise focused on the key themes of Trump’s campaign for the U.S. presidential campaign, which runs contrary to the usual security and defense discussions of the annual meeting.
He accused EU “committee” of suppressing freedom of speech, accusing the mainland of mass immigration and accusing its leaders of retreating from “some of the most basic values.”
EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas described Vance as a “try to fight” with Europe, home to some of the closest allies in the United States.
Vance used his 20-minute speech to select several European countries, including the United Kingdom.
He filed a legal case An Army veteran who prayed silently outside an abortion clinic was convicted Violation of the 150-meter safe area around the center.
The safe zone was launched in October 2022 and prohibits activities that favor or oppose abortion services, including protests, harassment and vigils.
But Vance believes that “the fundamental freedoms of religious British people, especially” are threatened.
Nine days before Germany’s tense elections, he hit a heated debate around the country around the mainstream party, which maintained a so-called “firewall” with the far-right alternative to the German (AFD) party.
In the decades since the Nazi defeat, the democracies recovered in Germany, there has been a consensus among their main parties not to cooperate with far-right parties.
“Democracy is based on a sacred principle that the voice of the people is important,” Vance said. “There is no room for firewalls. You either stick to the principles or you don’t.”
Pistorius spoke directly in his speech, saying: “The Vice President of the United States is questioned throughout Europe.
“He talks about the annihilation of democracy,” Pistorius continued. “And if I understand him correctly, he compares some of the European conditions with those of an authoritarian regime…it is unacceptable.”
Vance also mentioned Romania’s presidential election, which was abolished after being explained in December It is the goal of Russian state intervention.
“If your democracy is destroyed from a foreign digital ad, it’s not very powerful at the beginning,” Vance said at the meeting.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said his country remains “defending democratic values shared by Europe and the United States.”
He wrote on X: “All RO (Romanian) authorities are committed to organizing free and fair elections by empowering citizens and ensuring freedom of voting.”
Vance later met with Ukrainian President Vodimir Zelensky, under the watchful eyes of the meeting, which otherwise focused mainly on the full-scale invasion of Russia.
Zelensky said at the meeting that planning to end the fight requires more work, while Vance said the two shared a “reproductive” conversation.
Trump has said that Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet in Munich, but Moscow said it did not send a delegation to the summit.
