Trump administration concerned about European security - J.D. Vance
Photo: US Vice President J.D. Vance (Getty Images)
President Donald Trump’s team is deeply concerned about security in Europe, stated US Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference.
"Trump's administration is very concerned with European security and believes that we can come to a reasonable settlement between Russia and Ukraine. We also believe that it's important in the coming years for Europe to step up in a big way to provide for its own defense," Vance stated.
He said that the biggest threat to Europe is not Russia or China but internal problems within the EU.
"The threat that I worry the most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia. It's not China, it's not any other external actor. And 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," Vance added.
Exclusion of the EU from the negotiation process
On February 12, US President Donald Trump held phone conversations with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the war in Ukraine. Trump's conversation with Putin came as a surprise to European countries, where some representatives criticized the dialogue with the Russian President.
European politicians emphasized the importance of Europe's participation in the negotiations, particularly if Trump proposes deploying peacekeepers. In the UK, they reminded that Ukraine's voice should be central to any peace talks.
Western media report that Europe fears that Trump will exclude them from the talks, but will force them to pay for Ukraine's reconstruction and send peacekeepers.
