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Updated 11 hours ago

MUNICH — Invoking the name of President Trump but not his rhetoric, Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday sought to reassure Europeans of Washington's robust commitment to trans-Atlantic defense, even as Europe searched for clarity in the contradictory statements coming from the new U.S. administration.

Pence told a skeptical audience at the Munich Security Conference that Europeans should rest assured that Washington's fundamental foreign policy direction was not changing. In a speech that touched on military sacrifice, God and an unwavering faith in the power of shared values, Pence offered the fullest outline from the Trump administration on international policy since the beginning of the turbulent term nearly a month ago.

“Today, tomorrow and every day hence, be confident that the United States is now and will always be your greatest ally,” Pence said in his speech, which was met with only a smattering of applause. “Be assured: President Trump and the American people are fully devoted to our trans-Atlantic union.”

The lack of mention of the European Union, whose unraveling Trump has praised, unsettled European leaders. Pence travels to Brussels on Sunday for meetings with senior EU officials.

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