MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. It is too early to draw any conclusions from statements made by European politicians at the Munich Conference last week, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
"On the whole, given the conflict potential, the information background at the Munich Conference this year was overloaded for obvious reasons," he said. "I believe that it is premature to draw any sweeping conclusions based on these statements. However, we keep a record of all statements."
Addressing the Munich Conference on February 14, US Vice President JD Vance criticized the European Union for censorship, including the blocking of social media. "If you are running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you," Vance clarified, adding that Europe needs a democratic mandate to make any substantial changes in the coming years.
On February 16, Christoph Heusgen, the chair of the Munich Conference, described the results of the forum in Germany as "a nightmare for Europe," adding that US Vice President Vance’s statement proved that Europe and the United States are worlds apart in their values.
Munich Conference
The 61st Munich Security Conference took place between February 14 and 16.
The Munich Security Conference was established in 1962 by German publicist Ewald von Kleist as a "gathering of representatives from the defense ministries" of NATO member countries.
Since 1999, it has been attended by politicians and top brass from Central and Eastern European countries, as well as business representatives. The forum traditionally hosts numerous informal and private meetings of politicians who discuss new security initiatives. Russia has participated in the forum since the late 1990s.
In recent years, Russia’s official representatives have not attended the conference.