German Chancellor Olaf Scholz challenged the US to resist the temptation to meddle in next week's elections, in a speech on Saturday that sought to pick up the pieces from a broadside against Europe from US Vice President JD Vance.
Not only did Mr Vance use the Munich Security Conference to condemn European mass migration, he also met Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party, nine days before a German election. US President Donald Trump called the speech brilliant and said he agreed with it even as it was reverberating across the European leadership.
“We will not accept outsiders interfering in our democracy, in our elections and in the democratic opinion-forming process in favour of this party,” Mr Scholz said on Saturday in Munich. “That’s just not done, certainly not amongst friends and allies. We resolutely reject this.
Watch: US Vice President JD Vance warns against silencing dissent
“Where our democracy goes from here is for us to decide.”
Mr Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy led the list of speakers on the second day of the annual security forum. “There will only be peace if Ukraine's sovereignty is secured,” Mr Scholz said. “A dictated peace will therefore never find our support.
“We will also not accept any solution that leads to a decoupling of European and American security. Only one person would benefit from this: President Putin.”
Mr Zelenskyy hit out at Mr Trump's trust in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, predicting a betrayal would lead to the US leader standing in Red Square in May to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Mr Zelenskyy said not allowing his country into the Brussels-headquartered Nato was a first-order mistake.
“If not Brussels, then Moscow, that's your decision,” he said. “I will not take Nato membership off the table but right now the most powerful member of Nato is Putin because he is able to veto at his whim.”
Mr Zelenskyy wants a seat at the table, a demand that is backed up by the Europeans. Later this month marks the third anniversary of the war caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Zelenskyy said that his country wants security guarantees before any talks with Russia. Meeting Mr Vance in Munich, Mr Zelenskyy also said he would only meet Mr Putin after a common plan is negotiated with Mr Trump.
Mr Vance's broadside against European allies over the rise of immigration and the lack of space for extremist politicians questioned their democracies and raised questions about Washington's commitment to the region's defence.
“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,” Mr Vance said on Friday. “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.”
The future course of Ukraine's war against Russian's invasion has preoccupied delegates at the conference days after Mr Trump spoke by phone with Mr Putin to set up peace talks. The two leaders plan to meet to negotiate a peace deal in the months ahead.
Facing a general election next week that is likely to see a new chancellor take over, Mr Scholz added higher defence spending in Germany and Europe is necessary and the country's debt rules need an overhaul for that. “Anyone who claims that this can be saved by making a small cut here or there from the current budget is not telling the citizens the truth.”
Munich Security Conference – in pictures
