Status: 02/17/2023 12:39 p.m
Last year he made a personal appearance at the security conference, today Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is connected via video from the war. It should be about tanks and fighter jets. Russia is not invited.
No representative from Moscow: That was rare at the Munich Security Conference. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was a regular guest for years, and President Vladimir Putin himself has also been there before. In 2007, he gave a widely acclaimed speech that disturbed some. At the time, he accused the United States of striving for some kind of world domination.
Christoph Heusgen, head of the security conference, explained that the question of whether to invite Russia or not was examined intensively, but then decided against. According to Heusgen, the war against Ukraine was a breach of civilisation. They didn’t want the world-renowned Munich conference to become a platform for Russian propaganda.
Selenskyj was there via video link
The conference will open in the early afternoon with a video link by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He appeared personally in Munich last year – five days before the start of the Russian war of aggression against his country on February 24. At the time, he urgently warned of an attack by Russia and asked for more Western support. He is likely to repeat the request for support today.
After a year of war, the debate about Western fighter jets for Ukraine is likely to continue in Munich. Zelenskyj’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba meanwhile specified the demand: “We would be particularly interested in fighter jets from the USA, Great Britain, France and Germany. These countries have the highest production capacities and the largest aircraft fleets,” he told the Funke media group. The machines could be used to shoot down enemy missiles and are important for the counter-offensive.
Pistorius hopes for tank commitments
In Munich, Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is hoping for more commitments from partner countries to supply tanks to Ukraine. “The talks continue, I never give up hope,” Pistorius said on arrival. The basic willingness is there, “maybe something will move”.
The tank issue is a matter of availability. The federal government is trying “every day” to persuade partner countries to deliver more arms to Ukraine, he said. At the moment, it appears that Germany is “leading the way” in arms shipments, while other countries are delaying the process.
First of all, Pistorius wanted to talk to representatives of Poland and the armaments industry in Munich about replenishing ammunition and spare parts for the “Leopard” 2A4 tanks. According to Pistorius, the promised German “Leopard 2” tanks will be in Ukraine by the last week of March at the latest. He was “fairly confident” that Ukraine would be able to withstand the expected Russian offensive, the defense minister said.
Christoph Heusgen, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, on fighter jets and Russia’s non-invitation
Morning magazine, February 17, 2023
After Selenskyj, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron will speak in Munich. What Europe needs to invest in its own security in the future is likely to be another focus of the meeting. That’s what the many American politicians who are visiting Munich will want to know. Several dozen MPs have traveled from Washington, and Vice President Kamala Harris has been in Munich since yesterday.
Why Moscow is not invited to the Munich Security Conference
Helga Schmidt, ARD Brussels, currently Munich, February 17, 2023 11:32 a.m