`

European leaders have remained quiet after a text exchange surfaced between Secretary of Defense and Vice President JD Vance, in which they expressed strong disapproval of their European allies.

Hegseth responded to Vance’s questioning of U.S. leadership in securing the Red Sea against Houthi attacks by stating, “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”

Vance’s comments diverge from President Donald Trump’s recent directive to increase U.S. strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, who have been attacking commercial vessels since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Earlier this month, Vance stated in a Signal group chat that included Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and CIA Director John Ratcliff, among others, that only “3 percent of U.S. trade runs through the [Suez Canal]. 40 percent of European trade does.”

He added that, “There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this,” referring to the vital trade route connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now.”

“If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again,” Vance also said.

Despite the disparaging remarks, European leaders have been noticeably silent, offering little public commentary when contacted.

This lack of response suggests Europe may be cautiously assessing how to maintain relations with an administration that frequently questions the value of its European allies.

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, stated that, “Reality is that there is certainly an element of European freeloading on relying on America as the one country that has the capability to really take on the Houthis in a major way and drive them out,” adding, “The Houthis are a desert dwelling ragtag bunch of terrorists, and most European countries do not have the capabilities to deal with that sort of situation.”

He further commented, “That tells you how bare Europe’s military cupboard is,” noting the change from 50 years ago.

Mendoza suggested that any European criticism would be hypocritical.

“So I think a lot of Europeans, while not liking the way this conversation has unfolded…can’t actually dispute the substance, even if we don’t like the methodology for this conversation,” he added. “And therefore, it is probably better to say little about it than to risk this sort of bigger argument about burden sharing, once again, coming to the fore.”

The administration officials suggested in the Signal exchange that the U.S. should receive “further economic gain” for leading operations, a suggestion that drew criticism from some British lawmakers, who pointed to the Trump administration’s renewed attempt to .

The leader of the U.K.’s Liberal Democrats stated that the exchange showed, “JD Vance and his mates clearly aren’t fit to run a group chat, let alone the world’s strongest military force. It has to make our security services nervous about the intelligence we’re sharing with them.”

Nations seeking to maintain positive relationships with the Trump administration, such as the U.K. and France, have stated they will continue to pursue “cooperation” with Washington.

The U.K., which has worked with the U.S. to counter Houthi aggression in the Red Sea, stated, “The U.S. is our primary ally, and we cooperate more closely than any other two nations on defense, intelligence, and security.”

A British Embassy spokesperson said, “The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to secure shipping in the Red Sea and has conducted a series of U.K. and joint U.K.-U.S. strikes over the past two years – helping to diminish Houthi rebel assets in the region,” adding, “Prime Minister [Keir] Starmer has been clear about the need for European nations to step up their security contribution and the U.K. has led with announcing a major increase in defense spending and committing U.K. troops to a future Ukraine peace keeping force.”

Similarly, a spokesman for the French Embassy said, “France is not in the habit of commenting on reported remarks, no matter how surprising they may be. The United States is our ally and France intends to continue cooperating with Washington.”