The groans and the anxious side glances gave way to silence as Vice President JD Vance took center stage in Munich to pour contempt on longstanding US allies and cut Europe down to size.It was an attack of unbridled ferocity in the name of free speech that laid bare the long-stewing hostility that Donald Trump and his most senior aides feel for the European Union — they see the bloc as a symbol of big government that constrains US companies.

US President Donald Trump’s “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has sparked fears in Europe of a “dirty deal” being struck to end the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow without Kyiv’s involvement.

Diplomats at the Munich Security Conference were uttering “appeasement,” with all its historical resonance, to describe the Trump administration’s approach to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Donald Trump first tried to get Russia back into the G7 in 2018. He tried again in 2020. Evidently, the Republican is hoping the third time's the charm.