Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that he still views Europe as “on the same team” as the United States, adding that his recent criticism of the continent is not out of any animosity toward America’s longtime allies.
Vance made the remarks during a Munich Security Council Q&A nearly three months after he ripped European countries over censorship, immigration, and foreign policy at the Munich Security Conference.
“I still do very much think that the United States and Europe are on the same team,” Vance said. “Sometimes I’ve been criticized as a hyperrealist, [that] I think of foreign policy purely in terms of transactional values … and focus so purely on the transactional value of it that we ignore the humanitarian or the moral side of it. And I think at least with Europe that’s not a full encapsulation of my views.”
The vice president added that he believes the United States and Europe are connected by far more than transactional agreements.
“European civilization and American civilization, European culture and American culture are very much linked, and they’re always going to be linked,” Vance said. “And I think that it’s completely ridiculous to think you’re ever going to be able to drive a firm wedge between the United States and Europe.”
At the Munich Security Conference in February, Vance told the audience that he feared Europe was leaving behind its “fundamental values” that it shared with the United States, such as free speech and fair elections.
“The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor,” Vance said in the speech. “What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values — values shared with the United States of America.”
The vice president acknowledged his February speech on Wednesday, saying that the United States and Europe will continue to “have disagreements” and criticize one another. He added, “I do think, fundamentally, we have to be and we are on the same civilizational team.”
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[[{“value”:”
Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that he still views Europe as “on the same team” as the United States, adding that his recent criticism of the continent is not out of any animosity toward America’s longtime allies.
Vance made the remarks during a Munich Security Council Q&A nearly three months after he ripped European countries over censorship, immigration, and foreign policy at the Munich Security Conference.
“I still do very much think that the United States and Europe are on the same team,” Vance said. “Sometimes I’ve been criticized as a hyperrealist, [that] I think of foreign policy purely in terms of transactional values … and focus so purely on the transactional value of it that we ignore the humanitarian or the moral side of it. And I think at least with Europe that’s not a full encapsulation of my views.”
The vice president added that he believes the United States and Europe are connected by far more than transactional agreements.
“European civilization and American civilization, European culture and American culture are very much linked, and they’re always going to be linked,” Vance said. “And I think that it’s completely ridiculous to think you’re ever going to be able to drive a firm wedge between the United States and Europe.”
At the Munich Security Conference in February, Vance told the audience that he feared Europe was leaving behind its “fundamental values” that it shared with the United States, such as free speech and fair elections.
“The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor,” Vance said in the speech. “What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values — values shared with the United States of America.”
The vice president acknowledged his February speech on Wednesday, saying that the United States and Europe will continue to “have disagreements” and criticize one another. He added, “I do think, fundamentally, we have to be and we are on the same civilizational team.”
“}]]
