Pence reassures Europeans of 'unwavering' US commitment

US Vice-president Mike Pence sought to allay European concerns about the presidency of Donald Trump, using a speech in Munich to reaffirm the US commitment to NATO and the European project. “Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance,’’ Pence said Saturday during an address to the Munich Security Conference. “The United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to our trans-Atlantic alliance.”

Pence’s first speech on the world stage since taking office was designed to reassure nervous European partners that the Trump administration would not upend decades of US foreign policy by abandoning the trans-Atlantic relationship in favour of an “America First’’ strategy.

Europe’s leaders were eager for such reassurances after President Donald Trump’s remarks during the presidential campaign and after he was elected belittling the NATO alliance, making repeated overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggesting that the European Union was likely to lose additional countries after the UK voted to exit the bloc.