U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visits Munich and Brussels during the next few days, his first overseas trip since being sworn into office last month. 

A senior White House foreign policy advisor says the trip is “an opportunity for the vice president to reassure our allies and our partners and also to lay out our U.S. priorities for the transatlantic relationship on behalf of” U.S. President Donald Trump. 

European leaders have been concerned about the Trump presidency after the U.S. president’s repeated expressions of admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump’s description of NATO last month as “obsolete.”

Pence will address the Munich Security Conference Saturday where, the advisor said, Pence is “going to reassure our allies of our commitment to our European partners and the reassurance for the transatlantic alliance.”  The advisor said Pence will deliver the message that “we are the most secure and most prosperous when both the U.S. and Europe are strong and united.” 

In Munich, Pence will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and several Eastern European leaders.  He will also meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Iraqi Prime Minister Hiader al-Abadi. 

In Brussels, Pence will meet with several European Council and NATO leaders, including European Council President Donald Tusk and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.   
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