press review
Summary of the deliberations
“After Munich, the world has become even more unsafe”: This is how the press rated the security conference
Christoph Heusgen, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, gives his closing statement
© Sven Hoppe / DPA
The Munich Security Conference is over. The main topic was Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has been raging for almost a year now. The German press drew a mixed balance after the meeting.
For three days, 40 heads of state and government and almost 100 ministers discussed the world situation at the Munich Security Conference. The overriding theme of the annual meeting this time was the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the question of how to end it.
This is how the press commented on the Munich Security Conference:
“Young World” (Berlin): “The Munich meeting offered a lot of instructive visual material about the state of the “free world”. The Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olexander Kubrakow demanded that his country be supplied with internationally banned cluster and phosphorus bombs. Conventions or not, this is ultimately about “our own country”, And a population that on the one hand claims Kiev as its own, but on the other hand treats it as hostile – as in the case of the frequent shelling of Donetsk and other cities in the Donbass with similar cluster munitions in the past There, children who think they are toys tear off their limbs. Ukraine has not even signed the relevant treaties, added Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba. Great.”
“Swabian Newspaper” (Ravensburg): “NATO is stronger than Putin expected and Ukraine must win the war,” was the mantra of the event Keeping the country’s infrastructure running. If these processes accelerated and fighter jets were added, the conference would be a success for him. But it doesn’t look like it. But Ukraine also has to be careful where it moves: whoever wants it after internationally banned cluster munitions and phosphorus bombs, runs the risk of aligning himself with the aggressor on this point.”
“Better to talk a lot than to be silent”
“Weser Courier” (Bremen): “Anyone who expected more from the Munich Security Conference than many talks is a dreamer. But if you listened carefully, you heard NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg say that the greatest risk for the world, and certainly for Europe, is when Putin wins’. For China, however, defeating Putin is not an option. And so the only plus of the Munich Security Conference is: it’s better to talk a lot than remain silent.”
“Heilbronner voice”: “After Munich, the world has become even more insecure. Because the key to ending the war lies in the Kremlin. As long as Putin commits one war crime after the other, freezing the status quo in Ukraine is unthinkable. Especially since the Ukrainian president will never relinquish its territorial sovereignty. So death and suffering will continue, with more and more brutal weapons. The bitterness after a security conference that was more of a war conference is that no one has the slightest idea how to actually stop dying could stop.”
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“Badische Zeitung” (Freiburg): “For the time being, the West will continue to rely on unity and determination. The formula will be to support the Ukrainians in their fight against the Russian invasion, as much and for as long as necessary. US Vice President Kamala Harris has a moral and a strategic interest in this impressively justified. Morally, because aggression and the most serious war crimes must be atoned for. Strategic, because (…) it is a fundamental question for all states, whether a stronger country can forcibly annex areas of a weaker neighbor. Then there would be no security for anyone more, peace would be endangered everywhere. One would like to hear that clearly from the chancellor.”
“Leipziger Volkszeitung”: “Western democracies have to fight for their values. Because their system of freedom, equality and the rule of law is known to be the most vulnerable of all forms of government. Autocrats and dictators know that only too well. Now they sense their chance. At the Munich Security Conference, this power struggle and At the same time, a weakness in Europe because of the cracked Franco-German axis and the still lacking trust in Eastern European countries in Berlin became clear. And the USA proved to be less powerful with an emotional but uninspiring speech by Vice President Kamala Harris. Beijing is in this gap came forward to announce a peace plan for Ukraine.”
“Stuttgarter News”: “Germany must also prepare itself better for the future for selfish motives. The great transatlantic cooperation could already be over after the next US presidential election – even if it was emphasized at the security conference in Munich that the Republicans in the USA, too, are committed to the “Fully support Ukraine. The United States remains a divided country. The dark years of Donald Trump’s presidency have shown that Europe must at least always be prepared for the worst-case scenario that an unpredictable populist will rule there.”