Munich [Germany], February 15 : United States Vice President JD Vance on Friday criticised European leaders, saying that their greatest security threat comes from internal issues rather than external adversaries like China or Russia, as reported by CNN.
In his first significant speech at the Munich Security Conference as vice president, Vance condemned European politicians, accusing them of suppressing free speech, mishandling immigration, and avoiding collaboration with far-right parties in government.
Addressing the conference, Vance said, "The threat that I worry most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, not China, it's not any other external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values," CNN reported.
US President Donald Trump praised JD Vance's speech, calling it "a very brilliant speech."
Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump agreed with Vance's remarks on the state of free speech in Europe, stating that the continent is losing its right to freedom of expression.
"I heard his speech, and he talked about freedom of speech. And I think it's true in Europe; it's losing. They're losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech. I see it. I mean, I thought he made a very good speech, actually, a very brilliant speech," Trump said, The New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed optimism over the direction of India's democracy and stressed that India's democracy has delivered. He also spoke about the elections in India and mentioned recent elections in Delhi and parliamentary elections held in 2024.
While participating in a panel discussion on the topic 'Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience' at the Munich Security Conference alongside Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, US Senator Elissa Slotkin and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowsk on Friday, Jaishankar said that he differs in the view that democracy is in trouble globally and highlighted India's democracy.
When asked about his views regarding Western democracy, Jaishankar said, "Well before I do that, I appeared to be an optimist in what is relatively a pessimistic panel, if not room. I will begin by sticking up my finger, and don't take it badly; it is the index finger. This, the mark you see on my nail, is a mark of a person who has just voted. We just had an election in my state just over. Last year, we had a national election. In Indian elections, roughly two-thirds of the eligible voters vote. At the national elections, the electorate of about 900 million, about 700 million voted. We count the votes in a single day."
"Nobody disputes the result after it's announced, and by the way, from the time we started voting in the modern era, 20 per cent of people vote more today than they did decades ago. So, the first message is that somehow democracy is in trouble globally, worldwide, I am sorry, I have to differ with it. I mean, right now, we are living well. We are voting well. We are optimistic about the direction of our democracy, and for us, democracy is actually delivered," he added.
Jaishankar said that India is a democratic society that provides nutrition support to 800 million people. He noted that there are parts where democracy is working well and parts where it is not. However, he underscored that it should not be considered a universal phenomenon.
The 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) is being held in Germany's Munich from February 14-16. The MSC 2025 will offer an unparalleled platform for high-level debates on the key foreign and security policy challenges of time.
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