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US Vice President JD Vance called on European officials to address illegal immigration in his address on Friday at the Munich Security Conference.
Vance pointed out that voters in Europe did not choose to open “floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants.” Earlier in his speech, Vance criticised Europe for restricting free speech, saying freedom is threatened.
He emphasised the demand from the U.S. for NATO members to increase their defence spending, speaking amid considerable apprehension regarding the Trump administration’s foreign policy.
The primary focus at Munich is the situation in Ukraine, particularly following a phone conversation this week between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which they agreed to collaborate to resolve the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Vance is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later on Friday for discussions that many observers, especially in Europe, hope will clarify Trump’s vision for a negotiated resolution to the war.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier addressed the conference, saying that everyone desires an end to the war, noting that “how this war ends” will have significant implications for the security framework and the global power dynamics of Europe and America.
Vance began his day in Munich with meetings with Steinmeier, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. He used these engagements to reaffirm the Republican Trump administration’s appeal for NATO allies to increase their defence expenditures. As it stands, 23 of NATO’s 32 member nations are meeting the alliance’s target of allocating 2% of their GDP to defence.
“NATO is indeed a vital military alliance, of which we are a major part,” Vance told Rutte. “However, we aim to ensure that NATO is adequately prepared for the future, which we believe involves more equitable burden sharing in Europe, allowing the United States to concentrate on challenges in East Asia.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was meant to join Vance and Zelenskyy but was delayed when his Air Force flight had to return to Washington due to a mechanical issue on the way to Munich. He took a different plane, but it remained uncertain whether he would make it for their meeting.
