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Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine.
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
The wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the Russian threat, Trump concerns: the security conference is dominated by the conflicts, crises and fears of the world.
And the desperate search for answers.
Munich - With drastic warnings about further Russian war targets, Ukraine demanded more money and weapons from Europe and the USA at the Munich Security Conference.
“If Ukraine stands alone, then you will see what happens: Russia will destroy us, destroy the Baltics, destroy Poland - it is capable of doing that,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his speech to the state and parliament over the weekend Heads of government and leading security experts from around the world.
Putin is a “monster” and he could turn the next few years into a “catastrophe” if we don’t act now and defend ourselves together as a team.
However, Ukraine assumes that the Republicans in the US Congress will no longer block further billions in aid for the country attacked by Russia - and that the federal government will still push for the delivery of long-range Taurus cruise missiles.
With this, Ukraine hopes to be able to hit military targets far behind the front line.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) avoided specific questions about Taurus in Munich.
He simply assured that Germany would always do enough to support Ukraine.
Behind Germany's reluctance are fears that the missiles could hit Russian territory.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba then told journalists: “The fact that you don’t hear a clear no is an answer in itself.” And: “We always trust that such problems will be resolved at some point.”
Appearance of Navalny's wife
The Ukraine war and the Russian threat - alongside the Gaza war and the question of the future of NATO - were the dominant topic of the three-day conference, the start of which was overshadowed by the announcement of the death of the imprisoned Russian Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Julia Navalnaya, Navalny's wife, used the stage in Munich on Friday to call on the world to fight against Putin - he must be held accountable.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, Scholz, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and many other top politicians swore in Munich for the cohesion of the transatlantic alliance.
The Chancellor warned urgently against weakening the will to common defense in NATO.
“Any relativization of NATO’s guarantee of assistance only benefits those who want to weaken us – like Putin,” he said, apparently in response to statements by Donald Trump.
The promising Republican US presidential candidate recently questioned support for NATO allies who do not invest enough in defense.
However, Republican US Senator JD Vance, who is close to Trump, assured NATO allies in Munich that they could count on US support in the event of an attack even under US President Trump.
But Europe must become more independent in security issues, that is Trump's message.
The debate about further rearmament in Europe continued to gain momentum in Munich.
Europeans must pay more attention to their security, “now and in the future,” said Scholz.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) says he expects that defense spending of two percent of gross domestic product will not be enough in the coming years.
Von der Leyen spoke out in favor of a European defense commissioner and announced a strategy for a common European defense industry.
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On the sidelines of the conference, thousands demonstrated for peace in the world and against grievances in individual regions.
According to police, 3,000 people gathered at a rally for peace in Ukraine.
dpa