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MUNICH, Germany — United States Vice President JD Vance will not meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Munich Security Conference, marking a serious diplomatic rebuke to the leader of the host country at a time of heightened transatlantic tensions over a potential Ukraine peace deal.
A German official confirmed to POLITICO that the two leaders would not meet at the global gathering, which starts Friday in the Bavarian capital, but stressed that Vance and Scholz had already held a meeting during the artificial intelligence summit in Paris on Monday.
However, given how significantly geopolitical events have shifted since — notably with U.S. President Donald Trump completely sidelining Europe to discuss a Ukraine peace plan and its terms with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin — and considering that Scholz is the leader of the host country, the lack of a meeting with Vance is striking.
The news also risks denting Scholz’s chances in Germany’s snap election 10 days from now, given that his center-right rival Friedrich Merz, who is widely expected to become the country’s next chancellor, will meet Vance in Munich on Friday for about 20 minutes.
A former U.S. official said Vance had never planned to meet with Scholz in Munich as his plans were being finalized in late January and early February, even as meetings were booked with less senior officials such as British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Merz.
“We don’t need to see him, he won’t be chancellor long,” was how the official described the Vance team’s approach.
“It is disrespectful toward Germany,” said a German official not from Scholz’s party. “I can’t stand Scholz but he is still our chancellor. But it fits … the Trump administration doesn’t care about its allies.”
The U.S. vice president will still meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who has a largely ceremonial role and is not part of the government, on Friday in Munich. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Chancellor Minister Wolfgang Schmidt will join the first part of the meeting to ensure the government has a voice.
“This is an embarrassing setback that just shows how Germany isn’t taken seriously as a major power player in Europe by the Trump team,” said one senior Eastern European diplomat, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly on the matter.
POLITICO sought comment from Vance’s team but did not receive an immediate response.
Gordon Repinski in Berlin contributed reporting.
