US Vice President Of Strong Criticism Of European Leaders Fails To Protect Democracy

JAKARTA - US Vice President JD Vance accused European leaders of censoring freedom of opinion and failing to control immigration.

The US Vice President's remarks sparked a strong rebuke from the German defense minister and obscured discussions about war in Ukraine.

The prospect of peace negotiations is expected to dominate Munich's annual Security Conference following a telephone talk between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week, but Vance barely mentioned Russia or Ukraine in his speech at the meeting.

As reported by Reuters on Saturday, February 15, Vance said the threat to Europe that worries him the most was neither Russia nor China, but what he called a setback of fundamental values in protecting freedom of expression and immigration, which he said was "out of control" in Europe.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius replied to his speech at the conference that day, calling Vance's statement "unacceptable".

Boris said Vance questioned democracy not only in Germany but in Europe as a whole.

This tension underscores the difference of views between Trump's new government and European leaders, making it difficult for longtime US and European allies to find common ground on issues including Ukraine.

Many conference delegates watched Vance's speech in silence. There was a bit of applause as he delivered his remarks.

Following his speech, Vance met with Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative far-right party for Germany (AfD), a move that is likely to draw criticism for unwanted interference ahead of Germany's federal election next week.

Trump's conversation with Putin worries European countries, which have tried to isolate the Russian president since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and fear they will be removed from peace negotiations that will have an impact on their own security.

Vance, who met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Munich on Friday, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview before the conference Trump could use some economic and military tools to influence Putin.

Vance spokesman William Martin then questioned the interpretation of the newspaper that the US vice president had threatened Russia.