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Volodymyr Selenksyj during his speech in Munich
Photo:
Sven Hoppe / dpa
This year's Munich Security Conference is completely under the influence of the Russian attack on Ukraine - and presents itself as united in its resistance to Russian imperialism as never before.
In the early afternoon, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, who was connected via video, jointly opened the international conference, which lasted until Sunday.
In the resistance against the Russian invasion, Zelenskyi used the biblical image of the fight between David and Goliath.
"We have to defeat the Russian Goliath," said Zelenskyy, "that affects us all, not just David on the Dnipro."
The Ukrainian applauded the assembled politicians in Munich from the video screen and thanked them for their help so far in the past year of the war.
But that's not enough.
»We are all the David of the free world«
"Goliath will definitely fall this year," said Zelenskyy.
But that would only work if Ukraine received "a slingshot."
With the metaphor Selenskyj meant his repeatedly stated desire for the rapid delivery of heavy weapons.
Zelenskyi also gave new emphasis to his desire to join NATO.
The Ukrainians in every Russian-occupied village are trapped.
“We must defeat Russian aggression” – there is therefore no alternative to Ukraine's rapid NATO membership.
"We are all the David of the free world and we will defeat the Putins of this world," Zelenskyj concluded his speech.
Before the opening speech, the Russian-Korean pianist Samson Tsoy played a piece by Schubert.
Images from wars and crisis areas of the past year were faded in to the music, including people in the flood of the century in Pakistan and civilians shot dead on the streets of Bucha.
Rejection of the Kremlin, Tehran – and the AfD
For the first time in decades, the security conference will take place without the participation of the Russian government.
In view of the "break in civilization" caused by the war of aggression against Ukraine, the propaganda of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government did not want to be given a forum, said conference leader Christoph Heusgen.
Iranian officials and AfD representatives are also excluded.
"The many conflicts show that the UN Charter is being attacked, that the rule-based order is being attacked," Heusgen said.
"The struggle in Ukraine is a struggle to protect the global order." More than 150 high-ranking government officials are taking part in this year's meeting.
In addition to Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and US Vice President Kamala Harris, among others.
The Munich Security Conference has been taking place since 1963.
At the conference, top politicians, business leaders and security experts will discuss further developments after almost a year of war, which has been raging since February 24, 2022.
Other topics revolve around dealings with Iran, the situation in the Middle East and Africa, and relations between the West and China.
According to Heusgen, for the first time the podiums and discussion rounds will have equal representation, and the same number of female and male experts will have their say.
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