Christoph Heusgen, the emotional chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), concluded the 61st MSC this afternoon, marking the end of his term as chair which began in 2022.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Heusgen expressed gratitude to European leaders, particularly to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, for addressing a speech delivered by US Vice President JD Vance during the conference.
“With (convenor of the MCU) Ewald von Kleist, this conference started as a transatlantic gathering, and after Vice President Vance’s speech on Friday, we must be concerned that our shared value foundation may no longer be as common,” stated Mr. Heusgen.
Mr. Vance’s remarks, in which he criticized Europe for purportedly suppressing free speech and exhibiting a lack of democracy, faced backlash from several European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
