JD Vance, of the opinion that Europe “has embarked on the path of civilization suicide”. The US vice president resumes attacks on the continent
US Vice President JD Vance criticized Europe on Thursday, January 22, saying they were heading for what he called “civilizational suicide”.
JD Vance/PHOTO: EPA-EFE
“Europe has certainly started on this path, fortunately, it has not yet arrived there, but it has started on the path of civilization suicide”said Vance in an interview with Newsmax, writes News.ro.
The vice-president specified that the Trump administration's criticism of Europe comes from the desire to see it strengthen from a political, economic and military point of view.
“We share a common civilizational heritage. You can't drive your economy into the abyss. Why do we care about NATO? Because we want Europe to be able to defend itself, if, God forbid, it were invaded. In fact, we love Europe.” he said.
This is not the first time that JD Vance has attacked Europe. In February 2025, he criticized the continent for what he considered to be restrictions on freedom of expression.
“We need to do more than talk about democratic values. We need to live them now. In the living memory of many of you in this room, the Cold War pitted the defenders of democracy against far more tyrannical forces on this continent. And think of the part of that struggle that censored dissent, closed churches, canceled elections. Were they the good guys? Certainly not. And thank God they lost the Cold War.
They lost because they did not value and respect all the extraordinary blessings of freedom—the freedom to surprise, to err, to invent, to build. It seems you can't force innovation or creativity any more than you can force people to think, feel or believe.
And we definitely believe that these things are connected. Unfortunately, when I look at Europe today, it's not always clear what happened to some of the victors of the Cold War.”
JD Vance's recent criticism comes amid President Donald Trump's earlier attacks on Europe, including threats of tariffs, which have since been withdrawn.
In this tense context, EU leaders adopted a calm and firm position during an extraordinary meeting in Brussels, dedicated to the transatlantic relationship and the pressures coming from the US, including in relation to Greenland.
European officials have stressed the need for cordial and respectful relations with Washington, while promising a firm, non-escalation approach and increased investment in Greenland, including in security.
