U.S. Vice President to Meet Senior European Officials

Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, continues his European trip by meeting with leaders of the European Union and NATO, with these meetings aimed at reassuring allies about Donald Trump's approach. On February 21, he will meet with Federica Mogherini, the EU's chief foreign policy official, Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Pence arrived in Brussels, the main decision-making center of the EU, on Sunday night after attending a security conference in Munich. In Munich, he emphasized America's broad unity with Europe and the U.S. commitment to ensuring that Tehran never achieves the capability to build nuclear weapons. Pence also criticized Russia for what he called interference in Ukraine and stated that his country strongly supports NATO. The issue of Russia, particularly Trump's approach and his administration, has raised concerns among several of Washington's key allies in Europe. During Barack Obama's presidency, solidarity between the U.S. and major European countries like Germany led to sanctions against Moscow due to allegations of interference in Ukraine. Washington, alongside these allies, was also a major critic of Russia's actions in Syria during Obama's term. Meanwhile, cooperation between the U.S., Russia, and European countries led to a nuclear agreement that Trump has been a staunch critic of, referring to it as 'one of the worst deals ever seen.' Several European officials met with Mike Pence in Munich, including Kersti Kaljulaid, the President of Estonia, who met with Pence along with a group of Baltic leaders. She expressed feeling reassured by Pence's and Defense Secretary James Mattis's statements. Concerns about Russia's actions on Europe's eastern borders have particularly alarmed Baltic countries and some Central European countries like Poland. Kaljulaid stated on Sunday, 'I trust them (the Defense Secretary and the Vice President of the U.S.). Therefore, I feel completely reassured.' However, not all European officials share this optimism. For instance, Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French Foreign Minister, expressed concern that Pence did not mention the 'European Union.' In any case, from Federica Mogherini's perspective, Pence's visit is a 'very important political signal,' although she also noted that relations between the two sides are likely to shift from an automatic and intertwined relationship towards greater pragmatism in the coming years.