Vance Says Most European Nations Could Not Defend Their Homelands

The vice president said in an interview with UnHerd that ‘European leaders have radically underinvested in security, and that has to change.’

U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrives at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, on March 28, 2025. Jim Watson/Pool via AP

Vice President JD Vance says most European countries do not have armies that could defend themselves against an attack and that the continent has relied on the United States for its security for too long.

In an interview with UnHerd, Vance, 40, said, “The reality is, it’s blunt to say it, but it’s also true, that Europe’s entire security infrastructure, for my entire life, has been subsidised by the United States of America.”

Vance said a lack of investment in defense meant that “most European nations don’t have militaries that can provide for their reasonable defense.”

He said Britain, France, and Poland were exceptions but that overall, European leaders had “radically underinvested in security.”

Defense spending in Poland is expected to reach 4.7 percent of GDP this year, and its army is 207,500 strong, making it the third largest in NATO in terms of personnel, after the United States and Turkey.

On March 28, Vance visited Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, which President Donald Trump has said he wants the United States to acquire for national security purposes.

Giving a speech during his visit, Vance said Denmark had not devoted enough resources to Greenland to counter growing Russian and Chinese interests in the Arctic region.

“I think that you'd be a lot better coming under the United States security umbrella than you have been under Denmark’s security umbrella,” Vance said in a remark directed at the people of Greenland.

Trump has said it would be beneficial for the security and economic interests of the United States and its allies if the United States acquired Greenland.

Trump has asked members of NATO to spend at least 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense.

On Jan. 23, the alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, said: “The problem is not the U.S., the problem is Europe. The problem is that, and Trump has consistently made this point, that in Europe we are under-spending in terms of defense.”

On March 6, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined a five-point plan, called ReArm Europe, that she said could boost the European Union’s defense spending by 800 billion euros ($840 billion).

During his interview with Unherd, Vance also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—who he confronted at the White House on Feb. 28, calling him “disrespectful” for trying to “litigate” the conflict in front of the American media—for some of the rhetoric he has used in recent weeks.

Vance Calls Zelenskyy’s Accusation ‘Absurd’

Vance said, “It’s sort of absurd for Zelenskyy to tell the [U.S.] government, which is currently keeping his entire government and war effort together, that we are somehow on the side of the Russians.”

He said it was “certainly not productive” for Zelenskyy to make such claims.

Vance said he had condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but also tried to understand the “strategic objectives” of Moscow.

He said that did not mean he morally supported the Russian cause.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance (R) criticizes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump (C) in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

In the UnHerd interview, Vance said: “I love European people. I’ve said repeatedly that I think that you can’t separate American culture from European culture.

“We’re very much a product of philosophies, theologies, and of course the migration patterns that came out of Europe that launched the United States of America.”

But he said the Trump administration was frustrated with European leaders who, he claimed, were making decisions—especially about migration—that were at odds with the views of the electorate.

On Feb. 14, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Vance criticized European countries for their attitudes toward free speech, democracy, and mass migration.

The vice president also warned politicians against dismissing the concerns of voters.

“Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There’s no room for firewalls. You either uphold the principle or you don’t,” he said.