De Gaulle, who led the French resistance movement against the Nazis during World War II and was the president in 1959-1969, “he loved the United States of America,” said Vance in an interview with the British information portal and opinion-forming Unherd. “But he was aware of what I am certainly aware that he is not in the interest of Europe and is not in the interest of America for Europe to be a permanent vassal of the United States in the field of security,” he added.
Vance's comments appear at a time when the administration of President Donald Trump repeatedly strikes European capitals due to their excessive rely on American military power in the field of his own defense. At the same time, the White House has repeatedly suggested that the US would not come to the help of NATO allies who do not invest in their own safety. The Secretary of Defense of the United States Pete Hegeth also warned that the American military presence in Europe is not “eternal”.
Trump wants NATO countries to allocate five percent. your GDP for defense – this is a sharp increase compared to the current alliance goal of two percent, which is to be increased at the summit in the indoor this summer.
“I do not think that Europe's greater independence is bad for the United States – it is good for them,” said Vance. “By going back to history, I think – to be honest – the British and the French were certainly right in their misunderstandings with Eisenhower in the Suez Canal.”
In the 1950s, the US leader Dwight Eisenhower forced London and Paris before de Gaulle became president, to withdraw from military intervention in order to take control of the Suez Canal from Egypt, which was crucial for the economic and colonial interests of these countries.
With the exception of Great Britain, France and Poland, “most European countries have no army that could provide them with reasonable defense,” Vance argued. “Reality is this – it must be said bluntly, but it is also true – that the whole European security infrastructure, throughout my life, was subsidized by the United States of America.”
De Gaulle, whose thinking was shaped by Suez, often warned that Europeans should be more independent of the United States and worked on making the French army more autonomous, including through the development of nuclear weapons and a powerful defense industry. He inspired the pursuit of what the current French President Emmanuel Macron calls “strategic autonomy”.
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Is it all out of love?
Vance also had thoughts about the European response to the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, which according to him turned into a “strategic catastrophe”. When the United States was preparing for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, many European countries, including France and Germany, opposed the attack, while the United Kingdom supported the USA. The vice president said that skeptical Europeans could, however, comment more strongly.
He said that “many European nations were right”, having doubts about the war in Iraq and He argued that Europe could stop her if “was a little more independent and a little more likely to oppose.”
The vice president – who previously began sharp attacks on the Old Continent in connection with migration and freedom of speech – tried to alleviate part of his criticism, emphasizing his “love” for Europe.
“I love Europeans. I have repeatedly said that I think that American culture cannot be separated from European,” he said. “We are largely a product of philosophy, theology and of course migration patterns that left Europe and initiated the United States of America.”
But, he added Vance, “European leaders have radically notinated in security and it must change.”
He also hit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelanskiwhich was the last salvo in the war on words between these two politicians, which began with their irritable exchange of sentences in the oval office at the end of February, when Vance sought Zunch Zelnski for “disrespect.”
In an interview with the American Information Program 60 minutes on Sunday, Zielnski accused the Vice President of “justifying” Russia's invasion and being a victim of Moscow disinformation. Vance replied that it was “absurd, so that Zelanski would tell the government [amerykańskiemu]which currently maintains its entire government and war efforts that we are somehow on the side of the Russians. “
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
