US Vice President JD Vance, in a round of criticism against European states, spoke at the Munich Security Conference, expressing concerns about the internal threats to the continent. He criticized the “abandonment of fundamental values” in Europe, citing the annulment of the presidential election in Romania as an example.
Vance stated that the threat he is most concerned about is not Russia or China, but the internal threats. He mentioned the annulment of the presidential election in Romania, saying that he was surprised to see a former EU Commissioner on TV rejoicing about the annulment of the election, warning that if things do not go as planned, the same could happen in Germany.
Such statements “shock Americans for years”, added the US Vice President, warning that if European courts annul elections and high-ranking officials threaten to do the same, Americans should ask themselves if they hold themselves to a high standard.
Vance also criticized the European tendency to fear their own citizens, saying that there is no security if one is afraid of the opinions and the conscience of the people. He stated that Europe is facing many challenges, but the crisis it is currently confronted with, which he believes was caused by the continent’s own actions, is the fear of its own citizens.
In particular, Vance mentioned the issue of mass migration, stating that almost one in five inhabitants of Germany is a recent immigrant, the result of a series of conscious decisions made by politicians across the continent. He questioned how many times an auto would need to crash into a crowd before something changes. He also mentioned that no voter on the continent went to the polls to open the floodgates for millions of unvetted immigrants.
Speculation had been rife beforehand that Vance would deliver a confrontational speech, with the “Wall Street Journal” reporting that he would publicly criticize the “wall of silence” in Germany against the Alternative for Germany (AfD).