Updated February 14, 2025 at 15:30 PM ET
Vice President Vance delivered a stinging message to European leaders when he took the stage at the Munich Security Conference on Friday: the biggest threat to their continent, he said, comes not from Russia or China, but from within.
Vance scolded them for censoring conservative and right-wing views that he said shut people out from the democratic process. He downplayed interference from Russia in Democratic elections and was critical of actions requiring social media companies to limit disinformation and hateful speech.
"To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old, entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like 'misinformation' and 'disinformation,' who simply don't like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion, or — God forbid — vote a different way. Or even worse, win an election," Vance told the conference, in his first major address on national security.
Vance did not talk about Russia's war in Ukraine — a major point of focus for leaders at the conference — but rather spent most of his time criticizing European politics.
"I believe deeply that there is no security if you are afraid of the voices, the opinions and the conscience that guide your very own people," Vance said. "If you're running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you — nor for that matter, is there anything that you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump."
Vance's speech was 'extremely confrontational'
Vance's speech comes as Germany is about to hold a major election. The far-right Alternative for Germany party, known by its German initials AfD — which Trump adviser and billionaire Elon Musk has backed — is polling in second place.
Vance met with AfD leader Alice Weidel during his trip, an official from his office told reporters traveling with him. Vance separately met on Friday with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Friedrich Merz, the head of the center-right Christian Democratic Union party, the official said. Earlier this week, he met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris.
Vance also specifically cited Romanian politics in his speech. Romania is holding another round of elections after concerns of Russian interference. The far-right candidate there was largely unknown but received a major boost on social media from Russian actors, according to declassified Romanian intelligence.
"You can believe it's wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections. We certainly do," Vance said. "But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn't very strong to begin with."
Max Bergmann, the director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Vance's speech showed that the United States was "showing its teeth to Europe."
"It was an extremely confrontational speech," he said. "It was also a direct effort to influence European politics. If a European leader had done that in the United States, especially right before a major election, the blowback would be immense. The European reaction will be similar."
Bergmann said the rhetoric from Vance could spark a major pivot in the transatlantic alliance between the United States and Europe.
Vance's remarks were not particularly well received in the room, with sparse applause and most attendees remaining seated when Vance finished speaking.
Vance met with Ukraine's Zelenskyy
After his speech, Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Vance called the discussion "fruitful" but did not go into details, saying he wanted to preserve options for the officials who will be trying to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
"We want the war to come to a close, we want the killing to stop, but we want to achieve a durable, lasting peace — not the kind of peace that's going to have Eastern Europe in conflict just a couple years down the road," Vance said.
Zelenskyy said he agreed with Vance, noted it was "our first meeting, not last" and said more discussions were needed about "how to stop Putin and finish the work."
On Wednesday, President Trump held a lengthy phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and said the two would meet face-to-face in Saudi Arabia soon. Trump afterward spoke with Zelenskyy over the phone.
The Trump administration's posture thus far has appeared to cede more in Russia's favor — Trump said it's "unrealistic" for Ukraine to join NATO, something Putin has long been opposed to, and something Zelenskyy argues Ukraine needs in order to prevent future threats from Russia. Trump also said it was unrealistic for Ukraine to gain back its territory from before the war.
Bergmann said Trump's rhetoric is sparking "grave concern" in Ukraine, because the U.S. is taking a more neutral role in negotiations rather than advocating for Ukraine.
"I think there's a fear that the United States just simply doesn't want to be a part of it anymore… and so therefore is willing to assert a lot of leverage on Ukraine to essentially agree to what Ukrainians perceive would be a bad deal for them," Bergmann said.
"And so there's uncertainty about whether this administration is actually on Ukraine's side or is trying to act more as a neutral arbiter."
Copyright 2025 NPR
