As of: February 17, 2024, 10:22 a.m
Comments
Press
Split
Scholz and Zelenskyj concluded a long-term security pact during the Ukrainian's visit to Berlin.
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
The world's crises are on the program at the world's most important meeting for security policy in the Bavarian capital.
There is a special guest on day two.
Munich - Crumbling support for Ukraine in the USA, impending conflagration in the Middle East, transatlantic future, difficult China, climate change: the current world crises are on the agenda at the 60th Munich Security Conference this Saturday.
The most spectacular guest is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He wants to come to Munich for the first time since the Russian attack on his country.
Directly in front of it, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) takes the floor in front of around 50 heads of state and government from all over the world.
US Vice President Kamala Harris also wants to talk to Scholz and Zelensky behind closed doors.
Scholz and Zelenskyj concluded a long-term security pact on Friday during the Ukrainian's visit to Berlin.
After the signing, the Chancellor assured that Germany would continue to support independent Ukraine in its defense against the Russian war of aggression - “as long as it takes”.
The country will also be supported in building up modern armed forces “to deter any future attack.”
At the same time, Germany promised Ukraine additional weapons worth around 1.1 billion euros.
These include 36 howitzers, 120,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, two additional air defense systems and Iris-T missiles.
This is important because the country is struggling with increasing shortages of ammunition, for example, due to the ongoing lack of further financial support from the USA.
This is one of the reasons why the appearance in Munich and the meeting with Harris are likely to be particularly important for Zelensky.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits Munich
The appearance of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is eagerly awaited.
The head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, wants to discuss China's role in the world with him.
For example, China has repeatedly emphasized at the United Nations that it wants to play a “constructive role in a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis”.
At the same time, Beijing is giving Moscow political backing in the geopolitical tug-of-war with Washington.
There has also been criticism of Beijing in the Indo-Pacific for years because of its increasingly aggressive behavior there.
Nevertheless, the West cannot avoid China if it wants to get the climate crisis under control.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is also planning a bilateral meeting with Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and two-state solution
Later in the afternoon, the situation in the Gaza Strip and the threat of conflagration in the Near and Middle East region if the Gaza war were to expand will be the focus of discussions.
In the evening, Israel's President Izchak Herzog is scheduled to speak about his country's vision on the path to stability and peace.
High-ranking representatives of the Palestinian Authority and the Arab countries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan will also be on the podium on Saturday.
My news
Young teachers have to take part in a strange custom – lawyer: “That really stuns me” read
2 hours ago
“We were robbed of hope”: Putin’s police crack down on grieving Navalny supporters read
31 mins ago
“Sick Man Germany”?
Scholz receives tough Siko questions – Zelensky warns of global “catastrophe” read
Putin speaks in Moscow about the one thing he regrets about the Ukraine war
Ukrainians proudly demonstrate Leopard 1 tanks to ZDF - but there's a lot missing from it
Navalny dead according to Russian authorities: First report on possible cause of death read
Report on Navalny's death overshadows the start
The 60th Munich Security Conference was opened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday.
The start of the conference was overshadowed by reports of the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison.
His wife Julia then massively attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech at the security conference.
At the same time, she stated that she could not confirm whether the death report spread by the Russian judiciary was true.
In the evening (5:30 p.m.), Navalny will be discussed again away from the main stage of the conference.
Then the cultural scientist Irina Scherbakova, a founding member of the Russian human rights organization Memorial, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, and the Russian journalist Zanna Nemtsova will speak at the Future of Russia program.
dpa