US Vice President JD Vance accused European leaders yesterday of censoring free speech and failing to control immigration, drawing a sharp rebuke from Germany’s defence minister and overshadowing discussions on the war in Ukraine.
The prospect of peace talks had been expected to dominate the annual Munich Security Conference after a call between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week but Vance barely mentioned Russia or Ukraine in his speech to the gathering.
He said the threat to Europe that worried him most was not Russia or China but what he called a retreat from fundamental values of protecting free speech – as well as immigration, which he said was “out of control” in Europe.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius hit back in his speech to the conference later in the day, calling Vance’s remarks “unacceptable”.
He said Vance had called into question democracy not only in Germany but in Europe as a whole.
The clash underlined the divergent worldviews of Trump’s new administration and European leaders, making it hard for longtime allies the United States and Europe to find common ground on issues including Ukraine.
Many delegates watched Vance’s speech in stunned silence. There was little applause as he delivered his remarks.
Trump’s call with Putin alarmed European governments, which have tried to isolate the Russian president since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and fear they could be cut out of peace talks that would have repercussions for their own security.
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