US Vice President JD Vance has launched a scathing attack on European democracy, claiming that the continent’s greatest threat is “from within” rather than from Russia and China.
Vance was anticipated to use his remarks at the Munich Security Conference to discuss prospective peace talks in Ukraine.
Instead, he spent most of his time criticizing European nations, including the UK, for abandoning their ideals and dismissing voter concerns about immigration and free speech.
The address was welcomed with silence in the audience and later condemned by several politicians at the conference. Boris Pistorius, German Defense Minister, stated that it was “not acceptable.”.
Vance reiterated the Trump administration’s position that Europe must “step up in a big way” to compensate for its own defense”.
Following US President Donald Trump’s stunning statement earlier this week that he and Russia’s Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin peace negotiations, Vance expressed hope for a “reasonable settlement” in the Ukraine conflict.
However, Vance’s talk concentrated on culture-war issues and core themes of Trump’s presidential campaign, a break from the normal security and defense debates at the annual conference.
He accused European Union “commissars” of restricting free expression, blaming the continent for mass migration, and accusing its leaders of abandoning “some of its most fundamental values.”.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy leader, described Vance as “trying to pick a fight” with Europe, which is home to some of the United States’ closest allies.
Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, told Politico that Vance’s views were “insulting” and “just empirically not true.”.
During his 20-minute speech, Vance singled out several European nations, including the UK.
He cited a legal case in which an army veteran who silently prayed outside an abortion clinic was found guilty of violating a 150-meter safe zone around the facility.
The safe zone, which was implemented in October 2022, prohibits any activity supporting or opposing abortion services, including protests, harassment, and vigils.
However, Vance claimed that the “basic liberties of religious Britons in particular” were under assault.
Vance went on to attack the usage of buffer zone legislation, claiming that free expression was on the decline and that the Scottish government had warned individuals against praying privately in their own homes.
In response, the Scottish government stated that Vance’s assertion was “incorrect” and that the statute was “carefully drafted to capture only intentional or reckless behavior close to a small number of premises providing abortion services.”.
Nine days before a tense national election in Germany, he brought up a heated debate in the country about mainstream political parties maintaining a so-called “firewall” of non-cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Since the Nazis were defeated and democracy was restored in Germany, the country’s main political parties have agreed not to collaborate with far-right groups.
“Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters,” Vance said. “There’s no room for firewalls. You either uphold the principle or you don’t.”
Alice Weidel, the AfD’s candidate for chancellor, later tweeted excerpts from his speech on X, calling it “excellent.”. According to German public broadcaster ZDF, the two met later.
In his own speech, Pistorius directly addressed Vance, saying, “Democracy was called into question by the US vice president for the whole of Europe.
“He speaks of the annihilation of democracy,” Pistorius continued. “And if I have understood him correctly, he is comparing conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regimes… that is not acceptable.”
Vance also mentioned Romania’s presidential election, which was called off in December after declassified papers revealed Russian state interference.
Vance told the conference, “If your democracy can be destroyed with a few $100,000 of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with.”
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said his country remains “a defender of the democratic values that Europe shares with the USA.”.
“All RO [Romanian] authorities are committed to organizing free and fair elections by empowering citizens and guaranteeing the freedom to vote,” he wrote on X.
Vance later met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the conference, which had previously focused mostly on Russia’s full-scale invasion.
During the discussion, Zelensky stated that additional planning was needed to put an end to the violence, while Vance stated that the two had a “fruitful” conversation.
Trump had announced US, Russian, and Ukrainian officials would meet in Munich, but Moscow has said it is not sending a delegation to the conference.
