Pence trip aims to reassure allies

MUNICH -- Making his debut on the world stage, Vice President Mike Pence is looking to reassure skeptical allies in Europe about U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump, who has made his "America First" motto a centerpiece of his new administration.

Pence arrived Friday in Germany, his first overseas trip as vice president, on a mission to ease concerns about the U.S. commitment to multinational institutions like NATO and the European Union. The visit, which will include a stop in Brussels on Sunday and Monday, comes amid worries in Europe about Russian aggression and amid lingering questions about Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and whether the new president may promote isolationist tendencies.

Landing on a cold, rainy evening, Pence was greeted by about two dozen members of the Bavarian Honor Guard and local dignitaries at Munich's airport. Today, he will deliver a speech at the Munich Security Conference and then meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Germany's defense minister said Friday that Washington has an interest in both a stable EU and a united NATO, and cautioned against turning the fight against terrorism into a "front against Islam and Muslims."

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The minister, Ursula von der Leyen, also said it won't be enough in the future to rely on American military strength and "duck away" when things get tough.

She spoke at the opening of the conference, an annual gathering of diplomats and defense officials that this year offers an opportunity for many to meet with members of the Trump administration.

She was joined at the opening session by U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, who declared that "when it comes to security, no one goes their own way in this world alone."

"Security is always best when provided by a team," he said.

Pence is also to sit down with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko -- countries facing the threat of Russian aggression -- along with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

"These are pretty blunt-spoken people and they are very nervous. Pence is looking like an adult," said James Jeffrey, a U.S. ambassador to Iraq during President Barack Obama's administration and a distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "The question is, will Trump listen to him?"

Pence was also to meet with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. is embroiled in two separate wars. In the earliest days of his presidency, Trump declared his intention to fight and defeat the Islamic State group. But he also remarked that the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who will be meeting with Pence.

Trump's immigration and refugee ban has also ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order currently tied up in court, including Iraq -- a close ally in the fight against the Islamic State.

The American allies will be seeking clues from Pence as to how the Trump administration plans to deal with Russia in the aftermath of Flynn's departure, U.S. inquiries into Russia's involvement in the presidential election and Trump's past praise for Putin.

Pence will travel to Brussels on Sunday for meetings related to NATO and the European Union. His Monday itinerary includes face-to-face meetings with EU Council President Donald Tusk, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Information for this article was contributed by Vivian Salama, Geir Moulson, Lolita C. Baldor and David Rising of The Associated Press.

A Section on 02/18/2017