‘Pride of Europe’: Callas responds to boos to Vance at Italian Winter Olympics opening ceremony

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Euronews on February 9 that the crowd at the opening ceremony of the Milan Winter Olympics booed US Vice President Vance as a way to express European pride.During the opening ceremony, Vance and second lady Usha Vance appeared on the San Siro stadium’s big screen and briefly waved American flags, drawing enthusiastic jeers. The reaction comes amid growing tensions across the Atlantic over Washington’s rhetoric toward Europe.

When asked about the incident, Karas linked it to recent US rhetoric against the EU.“Well, I think we’ve heard a lot of not-so-nice things about Europe from the United States,” she said. “Of course there is also a sense of pride among our public – a sense of European pride. And it shows.”Vance has repeatedly criticized the EU, most notably in a speech at last year’s Munich Security Conference in which he questioned whether the United States and Europe still share a common vision for democracy.He also criticized the EU’s efforts to combat disinformation, arguing that they restricted free speech.Karas made the remarks ahead of this year’s Munich Security Conference, scheduled for February 13-15, which Vance is not expected to attend. The meeting comes as relations between Washington and European capitals remain tense.Tensions have increased as US President Donald Trump threatened to seize Greenland, Denmark’s self-governing territory, and suggested he might use military force.