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Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, attends the security conference.
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
Where is the world heading, given the crises and wars and a possible return of Trump?
These are the central questions of the Munich Security Conference.
There is a shadow over the first day.
Munich - Overshadowed by the news of the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, with dire warnings of a more dangerous world and a US commitment to NATO, the 60th security conference began in Munich.
Until Sunday, top politicians and experts, including 50 heads of state and government, will discuss, among other things, the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The moment of the first day in Munich was when Navalny's wife, Julia Navalnaya, made a surprise appearance on stage, although she said she had not yet had her own confirmation of her husband's death.
If the news is true, Russian President Vladimir Putin will have to answer for her husband's death, said Navalnaya, visibly tense.
The conference acknowledged her appearance with a standing ovation.
US Vice President commits to NATO and US leadership
US Vice President Kamala Harris also made a clear commitment to American involvement in NATO on behalf of President Joe Biden: NATO is central to global security.
It was founded on a simple premise: an attack on one member is an attack on all.
All NATO members have always upheld this promise, even after the terrorist attack on the USA on September 11, 2001, she emphasized.
Harris thus decidedly opposed former US President Donald Trump, who is aiming for another presidency.
During an election campaign appearance on Saturday, he made it clear that he would not grant protection from Russia to NATO partners who do not meet their financial obligations.
“Isolation is not protection,” said Harris, emphasizing that the USA must continue to play its global leadership role in interaction with its partners for its own interests.
This approach strengthens the USA “and protects Americans”.
With a view to the elections in the USA in November, she pointed out that there were also voices who wanted a different role for the USA, who wanted to isolate the USA and turn away from its allies.
“This view of the world is dangerous, destabilizing and short-sighted.”
Specifically, Harris warned against the failure of the US Congress to approve further aid for Ukraine: This would be a “gift” to Putin.
Referring to allies in Europe, the US vice president said: “They have made it clear that Europe will stand with Ukraine.
And I will make it clear that President Joe Biden and I stand with Ukraine.”
The role of NATO and the EU
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized the alliance's effectiveness against Russia.
“NATO continues to ensure that there is no room for miscalculation in Moscow regarding our willingness to protect all allies with more forces, greater readiness and increased defense spending,” Stoltenberg said before the start of the conference.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany would make its contribution to fair burden sharing in the alliance.
He emphasized that the transatlantic relationship “is and will remain of great importance in every respect.”
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Around 4,800 officers are on duty for the Munich Security Conference from Friday to Sunday.
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to use the EU states' growing investments in weapons, ammunition and soldiers to build a new European defense industry: "We have to invest more, we have to invest better and we have to invest in a European way." The Commission will She said in Munich that she would present a strategy for this next month.
The UN Secretary General warns and warns
UN Secretary-General António Guterres sees the global community as increasingly divided, regardless of existential challenges.
“Even the Cold War era was - in some ways - less dangerous,” he said at the opening of the conference.
The nuclear dangers still exist, which have only been added to the climate crisis and the danger of uncontrolled artificial intelligence.
“We have not been able to take effective steps in response,” he said.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres.
© John Minchillo/AP/dpa
Guterres called for a just and lasting peace solution for Ukraine, for Russia and the world.
The basis for this must be respect for the territorial integrity of sovereign states.
The loss of human life is horrific.
But the war also had consequences for the global economy and developing countries.
The UN Secretary General warned Israel of the consequences of a major military offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.
“Rafah is at the center of the entire humanitarian aid operation.
A full-scale offensive against the city would be devastating for the 1.5 million Palestinian civilians there who are already struggling to survive,” he said.
He has repeatedly called for the release of all hostages and a humanitarian ceasefire.
Guterres said there was no justification for the Islamist Hamas' ruthless terrorist attacks on October 7.
And nothing could justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people through Israel's military response.
The situation in Gaza is a terrible indictment and a sign of the dead end into which international relations are heading.
He reiterated that a ceasefire must be a step towards a two-state solution based on UN resolutions and international law.
Scholz and Zelenskyj are coming
On Saturday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj, who met in Berlin on Friday, also want to take part in the security conference.
President Izchak Herzog and Foreign Minister Israel Katz are expected in Munich from Israel.
There will also be high-ranking representatives of the Palestinian Authority and the Arab countries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan.
dpa