US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Tuesday that Europe was facing an "invasion" of dangerous ideologies arriving by sea, linking immigration to the legacy of the Normandy landings, speaking at a ceremony in France to mark the anniversary of the event, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
His words echo the criticisms often leveled by President Donald Trump's administration towards Europe - a region that Washington says is hampered by weak defenses, an inability to deal with immigration, unnecessary bureaucracy and "censorship" of far-right and nationalist voices to keep them out of power, Reuters points out.
"Unfortunately, today different European beaches are being taken over by different, dangerous ideologies. Boats and people are arriving on the beaches of Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria", Hegseth said in a speech at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colville-sur-Mer.
"When will European capitals do something about this invasion or is it already too late? I pray it is not and I believe it is not", the US minister said.
Hegseth was speaking at celebrations marking the 82nd anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, when American and allied forces crossed the English Channel to begin the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation. U.S. officials, including Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance, who did so yesterday, have often criticized European countries for failing to control immigration.
A U.S. National Security Strategy document released last year warned that Europe was facing "civilizational obliteration" and must correct its course if it is to remain a reliable U.S. ally. The document - and other comments by senior Trump officials - have overturned postwar assumptions about Europe's close relationship with its strongest ally and focused attention in European capitals on the urgent need to diversify and reduce dependence on American technology and defense, Reuters reports.