Munich: JD Vance shocked the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Friday, 14th of February, with a forceful speech criticizing Washington’s allies, instead of Security and Defence.
This year’s MSC was expected to address two key issues: ending the war in Ukraine without conceding to Russia and increasing Europe’s defence spending. However, US Vice President Vance took an unexpected approach, shifting the discussion away from these priorities.
The 20-minute speech was met with near silence from the audience. Even an attempt at humour—”if American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk”—failed to elicit any reaction.
Vance accused European governments of straying from their values and disregarding public concerns on migration and free speech. His remarks were poorly received, with one US commentator remarking afterward, “That was all for US domestic consumption.”
Despite the backlash, Vance later met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who described their conversation as “good” and expressed optimism for future discussions.
WATCH IN FULL: @VP's remarks at the Munich Security Conference pic.twitter.com/NDAlvzIXMK
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 15, 2025
Zelensky stressed the importance of Ukraine and the US working together to develop a plan to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin and bring the war to an end. “We want peace, but we need real security guarantees,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has introduced new uncertainties into the conflict. Just days before the Munich conference, his administration effectively weakened Kyiv’s negotiating position by stating—through Défense Secretary Pete Hegseth—that restoring Ukraine’s borders to pre-2014 lines is “not realistic.”
Additionally, the US has ruled out Ukraine’s NATO membership and stated that no US troops would be deployed to defend Ukraine’s borders in the event of another Russian invasion.
Adding to Europe’s concerns, Trump held an unexpected 90-minute phone call with Putin, breaking the West’s three-year freeze on direct talks with the Russian leader, a policy that had been in place since the 2022 invasion.
With the Munich conference set to hold a high-profile debate on Ukraine on Saturday, 15th of February, European leaders are increasingly anxious that Trump’s pursuit of a swift peace deal could allow Putin to emerge victorious, emboldened, and prepared to seize more land in Europe.
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