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U.S. Vice President JD Vance has criticized Germany’s free speech laws during an appearance at a conservative gathering outside Washington. He linked Germany’s limits against hate speech to American troops stationed there. German law sets restrictions on free speech including the long-standing ban on Holocaust denial and any glorification of the country’s Nazi past. The limits are an effort to curb extremism and incitement and have led to authorities policing the internet for hate speech and arresting the people allegedly posting and reposting such comments. Vance’s remarks Thursday followed his speech earlier this month at the Munich Security Conference.

A group of families and children hailing from Uzbekistan, China, Afghanistan, Russia and more countries have climbed down the stairs of an airplane in Costa Rica’s capital, the first flight of deportees from other nations Costa Rica agreed to hold in detention facilities for the Trump administration while it organized the return back to their countries. The flight of 135 deportees, half of them minors, added Costa Rica to a growing list of Latin American nations to serve as a stopover for migrants as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to step up deportations. Honduras on Thursday also facilitated a handoff of deportees between the U.S. and Venezuela from a flight coming from Guantanamo Bay.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the time has come for the creation of an “armed forces of Europe” because the U.S. may no longer be counted on to support Europe. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meanwhile has hit back at Americans for meddling in his country’s election after U.S. Vice President JD Vance scolded European leaders over their approach to democracy and met with the leader of a German far-right party. Forceful speeches from Zelenskyy and Scholz on Day 2 of the Munich Security Conference underlined the impact of a blizzard of decisions by U.S. President Donald Trump that show a rapidly growing chasm in trans-Atlantic ties.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country wants “security guarantees” before any talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war. Zelenskyy made his remarks Friday during a highly anticipated meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference. Shortly before sitting down with Vance, Zelenskyy said he will only agree to meet in-person with Russian leader Vladimir Putin after a common plan is negotiated with U.S. President Donald Trump. Zelenskyy said he believes Trump is the key to ending the war, and said the U.S president gave him his telephone number.