Vance Slams Europe on Free Speech and Democracy Ahead of Zelensky Meeting on Ukraine

U.S. Senator J.D. Vance criticizes Europe’s stance on free speech and democracy just before meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the ongoing war.

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, in a speech at the Munich Security Conference, criticized European leaders regarding issues of free speech and democracy.

He informs world leaders that “there is a new sheriff in town,” alluding to US President Donald Trump.

This address precedes his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky. Earlier, the Ukrainian president mentioned that he does not perceive a “ready US plan” to conclude the Ukraine war.

Trump indicated that officials from the US, Russia, and Ukraine would convene in Munich; however, Moscow announced they are not dispatching a delegation to the summit.

Germany’s defense minister informed journalists that it was an error for Trump to offer significant bargaining concessions to Russia before negotiations started, a sentiment broadly shared here, as reported by Frank Gardner from Munich.

It’s been nearly three years since Russia initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Check out our summary for the latest updates on the ground.

We are presently listening to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he addresses a US-Ukraine security cooperation townhall event, which is part of the Munich Security Conference. You can tune in at the top of this page.

He states that the conflict with Russia has bolstered unity between Europe and the US, expressing pride in Ukraine’s role as part of “such a strong” Europe. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining “this unity.”

He continues, emphasizing that forging a peace deal without including Ukraine or Europe is not advisable. This remark refers to US President Donald Trump’s Wednesday announcement about his conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, during which they agreed to initiate negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

There were later reports questioning Ukraine’s presence at the talks, but Russia subsequently confirmed that it “of course” would be present.

Zelensky is scheduled to meet U.S. Vice-President JD Vance in Munich later today.

German officials have reacted with surprise and confusion to Donald Trump’s assertion that Russian representatives plan to meet in Munich for trilateral talks involving the US and Ukraine.

The Russians aren’t present, nor have they been invited.

Then there’s the matter of Ukraine’s attempt to join NATO. According to Europeans, this option is still being considered, although US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth initially seemed to dismiss it earlier this week before subsequently moderating his position somewhat.

I inquired of a senior European official whether today’s discussions had clarified the US stance on Ukraine or led to any agreement to end the conflict there. Their response, which can be attributed directly, was: “Not really; we are still trying to work out what it is.”

Boris Pistorius, the German defense minister, expressed to journalists that it was a mistake for Trump to offer key bargaining concessions to Russia before negotiations had started—a sentiment widely shared in this region.