LONDON

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Friday pushed back against US Vice President JD Vance's comments that criticized Europe's handling of migration and democratic governance.

"The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe, it's not Russia, it's not China, it's not any other external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values," Vance said at the Munich Security Conference.

He accused European governments of opening “floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants” and called for stricter border controls.

Vance also censured the cancellation of a recent election in Romania, and the exclusion of far-right German politicians from the event.

Store, a leading center-left figure in Europe, argued that migration was already a central issue for European leaders.

“He speaks as though we are not focused on immigration in Europe,” Store said. “I mean, this is the big theme in every country, that we want to have control of our borders.”

The prime minister said a significant portion of recent arrivals were Ukrainian refugees fleeing war, a factor Vance failed to mention. “They were accepted because there is a bloody war going on, which he did not mention, which I think is not really addressing reality,” he said.​​​​​​​

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called the criticism “unacceptable.”