US Vice President Vance refuses to meet with Scholz in Munich
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (photo: Getty Images)
US Vice President JD Vance declined to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Munich Security Conference. Trump’s deputy believes that Scholz will not remain in his position as head of the German government for much longer, according to Politico.
A German official confirmed to Politico that the two leaders will not meet at the global gathering, which will begin on Friday at the Munich Security Conference.
"We don’t need to see him, he won’t be chancellor long," one of the former officials described the approach of Vance's team.
"It is disrespectful toward Germany. I can't stand Scholz but he is still our chancellor. But it fits … the Trump administration doesn't care about its allies," said a German official not affiliated with Scholz's party.
"This is an embarrassing setback that just shows how Germany isn't taken seriously as a major power player in Europe by the Trump team," said a senior Eastern European diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous to speak candidly on the matter.
It is noted that this news risks diminishing Olaf Scholz's chances in the upcoming early elections in Germany on February 23.
At the same time, Scholz's likely successor, the right-wing centrist Friedrich Merz, will have a 20-minute meeting with Vance in Munich.
The US vice president also plans to meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who holds a mostly ceremonial role and is not part of the government.
The first part of the meeting will also include German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and the head of the Federal Chancellor's office, Wolfgang Schmidt. This will ensure that the government has a voice in the discussions.
Munich Security Conference
From February 14 to 16, the 61st annual Munich Security Conference will take place.
During the event, negotiations are expected between the Ukrainian delegation, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and representatives of the Donald Trump administration, including US Vice President JD Vance.
Additionally, US President Donald Trump announced a meeting between representatives of Ukraine and Russia on the sidelines of the conference, despite Russian officials not attending the Munich conference since 2022.
On February 12, Trump held phone conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following these calls, the US president stated there was a good opportunity to end the war.
European leaders were not informed about Trump's call with Putin and criticized it.
Furthermore, Trump proposed a plan to end the war in Ukraine, which includes transferring control of Ukrainian rare earth metals to the US. Scholz condemned this proposal by the US president.
