JD Vance has accused the UK and Europe of a “backslide away from conscience rights”, warning of the “threat from within” and claiming: “Free speech, I fear, is in retreat.”

The US vice-president made the comments while addressing European leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday, amid wider concern on the continent over negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Discussing European security, he said: “We gather at this conference of course to discuss security and normally we mean threats to our external security.

“But while the Trump administration is very concerned with European security and believes that we can come to a reasonable settlement between Russia and Ukraine, and we also believe that its important in the coming years for Europe to step up in a big way to provide for its own defence, the threat that I worry most about vis-a-vis Europe, is not Russia, not China, its not any external actor.

“What I worry about is the threat from within. The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.”

Vance argued that while “you all came here prepared to talk about how exactly you intend to increase defence spending over the next few years… let me also ask you how will you even begin to think through the kinds of budgeting questions if we don’t know what it is that we are defending in the first place?”

He added: “I’ve heard a lot about what you need to defend yourselves from and of course that’s important but what has seemed a little bit less clear to me… is exactly what you’re defending yourselves for.

“What is the positive vision that animates this shared security compact?”

And the vice-president warned: “If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you, nor for that matter is there anything that you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump.”

In the speech taking aim at claimed infringes on free speech, he said: “When I look at Europe today, it’s sometimes not so clear what happened to some of the Cold War’s winners.”