At the Munich Security Conference, the Ukrainian president calls for faster weapons deliveries from the West. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg still believes a victory for Ukraine is possible.
At the start of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Western states for their armed assistance in preventing Russia’s war of aggression against his country. “There is no alternative to our victory and there must be no alternative to our resolve,” Zelensky said in a video link on Friday. He called on the West to speed up arms deliveries.
Zelensky compared his country to the biblical David who had to defend himself against a Russian Goliath. “The Goliath has already started to lose. The Goliath will certainly fall this year,” he said. Zelensky urged the West to speed up the delivery of weapons and support to his country. Russia’s President Putin shouldn’t stand a chance, Zelensky said.
NATO chief Stoltenberg: Ukraine can still win
On Friday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on the sidelines of the conference that he still thought a Ukrainian victory was possible. “Yes, that’s why we support them,” he said. War may end at the negotiating table, but we know that what happens at the negotiating table depends entirely on strength on the battlefield. He urged Western alliance countries to make new commitments for major tank supplies.
In addition to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the main topics of the conference, which runs until Sunday, will also be Iran, China and the future of the international order in general.
Scholz, Macron, Harris in Munich
More than 150 senior government officials are attending this year’s meeting in Munich – including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and US Vice President Kamala Harris. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also a guest in Munich. He is due to meet Chancellor Scholz on Friday, parallel to the conference.
Russian government officials are absent for the second consecutive year. After the Kremlin declined all invitations to the meeting last year, just before Russia invaded Ukraine, this time Moscow did not receive the invitation.
The Munich Security Conference has been held since 1963. In addition to public discussions and speeches, it is known for its so-called backroom meetings at the Bayerischer Hof, where politicians can exchange ideas in unofficial conversations.
(APA/dpa)