US Vice President JD Vance has called on Europe to lessen their dependency on the United States of America. Vance asserted that European countries should start showing more independence from Washington.
Adding that, had Europe been more vocal and less dependent on American foreign policy, it would have resisted the American invasion of Iraq.
“If the Europeans had been a little more independent, and a little more willing to stand up, then maybe we could have saved the entire world from the strategic disaster that was the American-led invasion of Iraq,” he said. He made these remarks in an interview published on Tuesday.
“I don’t want the Europeans to just do whatever the Americans tell them to do. I don’t think it’s in their interest, and I don’t think it’s in our interests, either.”
Vance had served as a military journalist for six months in Iraq with the US Marines. He said that European nations that had opposed the Iraq War should have been more vocal
“I love Europe … I love European people,” Vance said, adding: “It’s not good for Europe to be the permanent security vassal of the United States.”
Read more: US could cancel ‘almost all’ NATO funding – NYT
“I think a lot of European nations were right about our invasion of Iraq. And frankly, if the Europeans had been a little more independent, and a little more willing to stand up, then maybe we could have saved the entire world from the strategic disaster that was the American-led invasion of Iraq,” he said further.
Belgium and Greece had shown opposition to war. Meanwhile, the UK, Spain, Italy, Poland, and Denmark supported the US-led invasion.
Vance is visiting Rome over Easter. He used his address at the Munich Security Conference to dismiss Russia and China as the biggest challenge to Europe.