US Vice President J.D. Vance opened his speech at the Munich Security Conference by addressing key geopolitical issues while also launching a scathing attack on the Brussels bureaucracy. In a scathing attack on the policies of the European Union and some European countries, Vance singled out the annulment of the Romanian election, calling it a “deviation from democracy.”
Some Europeans pressured Romania to overturn presidential election results
“In December, Romania overturned the results of the presidential election, based on some intelligence information and under pressure from its European neighbors. As I understand it, it was claimed that there was Russian disinformation that influenced the electoral process. I want to ask our European friends: Do you think Russia is wrong to spread such information? Yes, we agree. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars – the amount required to buy this kind of advertising – then that democracy is not very strong… When European courts overturn election results, we have to ask ourselves: what are the democratic standards that they are following?”, said the US Vice President.
A slap on freedom of speech: If we tolerated Greta for 10 years, then you can tolerate Musk’s posts for a few months.
“Unfortunately, I don’t always understand what has happened to the winners of the Cold War. I was in Brussels. Some commissioners are warning that some media outlets may be closed down in order to prevent the spread of harmful messages or anti-feminist discourse,” he said. “Europe is moving away from our shared values,” he continued, intensifying his criticism of the EU.
Regarding the debate on freedom of expression, Vance made a sharp comparison between Greta Thunberg and Elon Musk, commenting on the different attitudes that Europe adopts towards them.
“The most important thing I learned is this: Not all citizens of our countries consider themselves trained animals who should not express questions. If the United States could tolerate 10 years of Greta Thunberg’s posts, then Europe can tolerate a few months of Elon Musk’s posts. Democracy is based on the principle that the voices of citizens should be heard and not silenced,” Trump’s vice president pointed out meaningfully.
Neither China, nor Russia… The EU’s biggest problem is Europe itself
Then, the US Vice President turned his attention to another major threat to Europe – not Russia, not China, but internal problems of the EU itself.
“The threat that worries me most about Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, or any other external factor. I’m worried about the threat that comes from within – the distancing of Europe from some of its fundamental values,” he noted characteristically.
Vance also expressed his dissatisfaction with the ban on the participation of far-right and left-wing parties in the Munich Security Conference, arguing that this violates the principles of dialogue.
“These parties represent a specific segment of society. There needs to be a dialogue with them, without it meaning that we agree with their views,” he stressed.
At the same time, Vance stated his readiness to visit Moscow for talks on Ukraine. He expressed his belief that the United States is able to negotiate an end to the war, underlining the need for an agreement with Russia in order to achieve peace.
Finally, the US Vice President touched on the issue of mass migration, describing it as the greatest challenge facing both Europe and the United States today.
