This is part of JD Vance's first international trip as Vice President of the United States: Former Ohio senator is visiting Europe, representing President Donald Trump's second administration on the world stage.

One of the highlights of his itinerary is that he will speak at the 61st annual Munich Security Conference on February 14, before leaders representing some of the most recent U.S. allies.

But instead of celebrating those historic connections, Vance took a more aggressive approach. He perched on the podium in Munich, criticized Europe, warned of laws and restrictions, and he said it could "destroy democracy", shocking onlookers.

Nearly three months have passed since Vance's speech, and on Wednesday, the Vice President returned to the Munich Forum, this time in Washington, D.C.

Vance revisited his February speech during a Q&A session with German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger and German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, which drew objections from Europe and at home. He also previewed the United States' negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and Russian invasion of Ukraine.

These are three key gains from his speech.

Repairing fences with Europe

Wednesday's public appearance marked Vance's third conversation with an event hosted by the Munich Security Conference. But his last speech (accusing democracy of sliding backward) is imminent in the proceedings.

Vance tried to reconsider the remarks on Wednesday as respectful criticism among allies emphasized the warm relationship traditionally shared between the United States and Europe.

"I think - I mean, it's from the heart and friends as friends - there's a trade-off between maintaining the scope of democratic rhetoric and debate and losing the trust of the people. We're all going to be different," Vance said. "If a country makes those boundaries different from the United States, I'm fine."

He added that the issue of freedom of speech and the principle of democracy is also a problem that the United States is solving.

"I think we all, especially the United States, must be cautious so that we do not draw boundaries in such a way that we actually undermine the very democratic legitimacy on which all our civilizations depend."

"I think that's fundamentally the point here. It's not that Europe is bad, the United States is good."

Ultimately, Europe and the United States were “in the same civilized team,” he said, emphasizing his belief that even if the two parties exchanged criticism, there was no wedge between him.

Walk with Iran

Vance also put forward an optimistic tone in evaluating U.S. efforts to reduce Iran's nuclear program, saying the two countries are taking the "right path".

"I would say: So far, everything has been good. We are very happy with how the Iranians respond to some of the points we have made," Vance said.

Vance's optimism raises an opposite concern that negotiations could derail through tensions between the United States and Iran.

Last week, the delay coincided with new U.S. work against Iran's oil industry but delayed Rome's fourth round of negotiations, as experts pointed out. The negotiations are scheduled to resume this weekend in Muscat, the capital of Oman.

Vance on Wednesday emphasized the U.S. position that Washington would not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, even though he expressed ambivalent feelings about nuclear energy for civilian purposes.

"We don't care if people want nuclear power. We're good with that. But you can't have the kind of rich program that allows you to use nuclear weapons. That's the boundaries we draw."

Nevertheless, even for civilian purposes, the issue of nuclear abundance has been a debate in recent weeks. Some U.S. officials said they want to see Iran eliminate its rich plans altogether.

Vance questioned whether Iran might only use uranium enrichment for nuclear power rather than weapons.

"Let me ask this basic question: Which regime in the world has civilian nuclear power and abundant without nuclear weapons?" Vance asked. "The answer is not human."

Iran has long denied any ambitions to seek nuclear weapons, and it shows it is willing to expand its abundance. Previously, it had signed a 2015 deal called the Joint Integrated Action Plan (JCPOA), which imposed restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

However, during his first term, Trump withdrew the U.S. agreement, causing the agreement to collapse. Since then, the U.S. president has tried to re-enter nuclear negotiations with Iran during his second term.

"We really think if Iran's domino falls, you'll see nuclear proliferation throughout the Middle East," Vance said.

Not a "pessimism" about Ukraine's peace

The vice president also shared his insight into another area of ​​intense international negotiations: the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Since February 2022, Russia has led a full-scale invasion of Ukraine after occupying areas including Crimea in 2014.

Trump promised to end the slow war in his re-election campaign last year, which has killed thousands of people. He even claimed that he would stop the war on his first day, although he has since traced back to it, and he said Time magazine, which he meant "symbolically."

However, Trump still attempts to serve as a mediator between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian rival Vladimir Putin. However, his administration has been criticized for negotiating with Russia in isolation and appears to have acquiesced to Putin's demands.

For example, Trump has responded to the key points of Russia's conversation, accusing Ukraine of war and saying Zelenskyy could "forget" members of the NATO military alliance. His officials also suggested that Ukraine is "unlikely" to regain the lost territory of the Russian invasion.

Vance took a slightly tough stance against Russia on Wednesday, stressing that he and the Trump administration did not see Putin's eyes.

"You don't have to agree with Russia's reasons for the war, and of course, the president and I both criticized the full-scale invasion," Vance said. "But you have to try to understand where the other party comes from to end the conflict."

The vice president tried to prove in the spirit of what he called "strategic realism" that Trump did in an effort to bring both sides to the negotiating table.

"Our view is: It's ridiculous that the war lasted for a long time. Both sides didn't even talk constructively about the necessary conditions for them to end the conflict," Vance explained.

“We are frankly frustrated with both sides that they hate each other very much – if you have an hour of conversation with either side, the first 30 minutes are they complaining about some historical upset four years ago or five years ago or 10 years ago.”

Vance elaborated on his position that Russia “requests too much” in terms of Ukraine’s charter. But he also criticized Ukraine for sticking with a 30-day ceasefire proposal that originally emerged in negotiations with the United States in Saudi Arabia.

"What the Russians are saying is that a 30-day ceasefire is not in our strategic interest," Vance said. "So we are trying to go beyond our obsession with a 30-day ceasefire, and more: what a long-term reconciliation looks like?"

He added that despite the White House's words that Trump may withdraw from negotiations altogether, he said he was "not pessimistic" about the prospect of negotiating peace.