Quotes
Only if Europe transforms into a military porcupine will it deter attacks — and maybe, eventually, rebuild a relationship with Washington on different terms,
Védrine said
You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict,
Vance snapped, accusing the wartime leader of being insufficiently gratefulThe threat that concerns me most about Europe is not Russia, not China, not any other external actor,
Vance saidThere wasn't more global order under American leadership, only the structure of military dominance. Now we must decide: can we defend ourselves, or do we crumble under the idea that protection is no longer free?"
Asked whether Vance's tone—and, by extension, the U.S. stance—might push Europe toward long-overdue strategic independence, Védrine saidIt's not just in Ukraine's interest to have a secure Ukraine. It's European and it's transatlantic,
said Landsbergis, pushing back against Vance's commentsThe Trump administration does not see allies, only dependents he considers parasites,
Védrine said in an interview with NewsweekWe're already beyond fracture."
Asked whether the current U.S. posture might fracture NATO permanently, Védrine pausedThe Cold War was won by people who believed in liberty,
Vance saidAmerica can't write blank checks indefinitely."
As a senator, he played a central role in the effort to kill off a Ukraine aid bill in early 2024, telling reportersHis hostility to alliances is deliberate. It's rooted in the idea that foreign policy should serve a narrow domestic narrative,
he saidEurope must also combat censorship, which silences dissenting voices,
he said
Vice President Vance unequivocally supports this administration’s foreign policy,
his spokesman told Goldberg
The Vice President’s first priority is always making sure that the President’s advisers are adequately briefing him on the substance of their internal deliberations,
he said
I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth replied to Vance
It’s sobering to see the way they speak about Europe when they think no one is listening,
one EU diplomat said, granted anonymity, like others, to give a candid view
JD Vance and his mates clearly aren’t fit to run a group chat, let alone the world’s strongest military force. It has to make our security services nervous about the intelligence we’re sharing with them.”
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, a British opposition party, saidFor the time being, and despite the sometimes nice diplomatic words, trust is broken,
the diplomat saidWe haven’t received the bill yet.”
On the charging the Europeans for the operation, a senior EU official addedI am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now,
Vance addedI just hate bailing Europe out again.”
Then, later in the exchange, he wrote