Today the security conference, which began on February 16, ends in Munich. The war in Ukraine was the top topic of the event. And despite the fact that such conferences do not have clear results — no one passes resolutions, this is an important discussion platform where politicians and government officials express their opinions.
— There are topics that are discussed, there is a tone, the content of statements that are made, and dominant sentiments. Munich was different in that there was always a lot of different things there, and it was very difficult to find a common denominator. And this applies not only to the current conference, but also to all previous ones, — notes political scientist Vladimir Fesenko.
What were the main statements made at the Munich Security Conference and will this affect the acceleration of assistance to Ukraine and how will it affect the situation at the front — ICTV facts asked from experts.
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- Main announcements in Munich
- Mood and results of the Munich Conference
- Should we expect an acceleration in the provision of assistance to Ukraine
- The influence of the Munich conference on the war
Main announcements in Munich
Among the main statements of the conference — F-16 planes, shells from the Czech Republic, help from the United States, and among the results — signing an agreement with the German concern Rheinmetall.
- F-16
Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte said that the process of training Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16 fighters is happening “at high speed”, and the Netherlands is preparing to transfer these aircraft to Ukraine.
— We hope to deliver them as soon as possible… There is progress in these matters. We are basically going according to schedule. So this is good news, — he said.
At the same time, the head of the Dutch government did not name the exact number of fighters that his country plans to supply to Ukraine. However, this should be at least 24 aircraft.
- Shells from the Czech Republic
President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel, during the Ukrainian lunch, which took place in Munich, commenting on the problems with the supply of weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that the country found 800 thousand shells for Ukraine, but needs additional funding.
— We found half a million shells of 155 mm caliber, 300 thousand shells of 122 mm caliber, which we can transport (to Ukraine, — Ed.) in a few weeks if we find funding. We will turn to partners in the USA, Germany, Sweden and others for help,” he says.
- Help from the USA
US Vice President Kamala Harris and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that the United States has only one plan to further support Ukraine. At the same time, official Kyiv is not considering an alternative to American military assistance.
- Declaration with Rheinmetall
As part of the Munich Security Conference , an agreement was signed with Rheinmetall on the joint production of projectiles with Ukraine.
Photo: Rheinmetall
— The demand for ammunition in many countries is enormous – primarily, of course, in Ukraine. Our intention to create another joint venture underscores our support for Ukraine. This joint venture will make a vital contribution to the country’s ability to defend itself – and therefore to the security of the whole of Europe,” said Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger.
The new enterprise will be located in Ukraine.
Moods and results of the Munich Conference
Political scientist Vladimir Fesenko noted that of the three days of the Munich Conference — The second day was Ukrainian.
— This is the speech of our president, these are statements that were made by various politicians, in particular, at the Ukrainian lunch, which also took place on the second day. Many figures, our partners, were present there, including the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel, and the prime ministers of Estonia, Denmark, Bulgaria, Norway, the head of the Presidential Office Andrei Ermak, and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Partners understand that Ukraine now needs help with weapons. We have proven that we can defend ourselves, but we need weapons, we need ammunition. And our partners are aware of this, — he noted.
Among the main messages are — solidarity with Ukraine, calls for the importance of supporting our state, awareness that we need help.
And, of course, the specific result that was during the conference meeting on the first day — this is the signing of two security agreements with Germany and France. And although, as Fesenko notes, this event was not directly related to the event, according to the logic of our cooperation with international partners, it can be attributed to the results of this conference, albeit relatively.
Photo: Office of the President
The mood was also influenced by the events in Avdeevka, in particular the withdrawal of our troops from the city, as well as the death of Alexei Navalny.
— There is a certain understanding that the situation now is very important and we cannot delay; we must strengthen assistance to Ukraine. The West already has a clear awareness of the great threats from the Russian Federation.
The tragic news about the death of Alexei Navalny just on the first day of the conference influenced the Western participants of the conference, namely — to their realization that it is impossible to negotiate with a political regime like Putin’s; it is a criminal regime. It can only be restrained by force and now the main tool in this — Ukraine and assistance to it, — noted political scientist.
Another important thought that was heard from time to time at the conference — If you don’t help Ukraine now and stop Russian President Vladimir Putin, then the Europeans and others will have to fight.
— This has never happened before. The level of understanding of the threats from the Russian Federation is now so high that some of the European participants spoke directly about it. These were the sentiments that dominated the conference, — says Fesenko.
He also noted the importance of active discussions at the Ukrainian lunch, as well as at other events.
— When rational arguments do not work, and, unfortunately, we have already become accustomed to them, we need to influence emotions. And it’s very good that there were military delegations and war veterans in Munich. Their emotions, their stories about the war, about the horrors of war, had a very strong effect on the Western participants, which was quite noticeable, — he emphasized.
Should we expect an acceleration in the provision of assistance to Ukraine
If earlier Americans called more on Europeans to help Ukraine, now it’s the other way around.
— There is a shortage of weapons. There was a lot of talk about this, in particular, attention was paid to the statement by the President of the Czech Republic that the country had found about 800 thousand shells. Not Europe, which promised a total of a million ammunition, but the Czech Republic. Europe plans to reach approximately 2 million such units in a year. That is, there is some progress here, but not everything will happen at once, so we need to survive this year, — notes political scientist Vladimir Fesenko.
In addition, according to the expert, the internal contradictions that the United States now has prevent it from accepting assistance to our state.
— When we talk about the United States, it becomes clear that they are now fixated on their internal contradictions. There have been statements that it is highly likely that a decision will be made when the lower house of Congress returns from recess. Most likely, in a slightly different form than what the White House proposes. The volume of assistance may be cut, only military assistance is possible, but there will be a solution. This, of course, is still unofficial information, — says Fesenko.
He also notes that the situation in the United States is such that, unfortunately, discussions in Munich, as well as direct calls from well-known and influential Western politicians, do not work.
— So let's be realistic here, they need to be pushed. The result, I think, will not be immediate, but will take some time. It seems to me that the Americans are already ashamed, since this also affects the situation on the fronts in Ukraine, causes criticism, and negatively affects the authority of the United States. But to expect that after listening to the statements in Munich, the Americans will make the necessary decisions, unfortunately, this is not the case, this would be a simplified view, — he says.
But, according to Fesenko, water wears away stones — therefore, there will be a result both from the discussions in Munich and from international public pressure on American politicians in general.
The influence of the Munich conference on the war
Despite a number of important statements for Ukraine made at the Munich Security Conference, this will not affect Russia’s position in this war, notes the head of the Center for Military Legal Studies Alexander Musienko. Although, of course, in his opinion, everything that happened at the event was important from the point of view of consolidating the European position around supporting Ukraine and condemning the Russian Federation.
— Indeed, the conference is important because much of the attention was focused on Ukraine. This applies, in particular, to topics such as the speech of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, and the rethinking of Europe’s role in ensuring security, as well as the need to spend more and allocate funds to produce weapons systems and subsequently supply them to our country, & ;#8212; said the expert.
Musienko also highlighted the meetings of the head of our state with his French colleague Emmanuel Macron, as well as with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the signing of agreements on security guarantees for Ukraine, which also provide for the provision of weapons.
Signing an agreement on security between Germany and Ukraine/Photo: OP
— And, of course, the discussions and decisions made at the Munich format itself were important. In particular, the declaration signed with Rheinmetall on the joint production of shells with Ukraine, discussion of the supply of Taurus missiles, ammunition, missiles and air defense. In addition, a number of important points were achieved that relate specifically to the production of shells, other types of weapons, — says the expert.
Thus, we can say that the military equipment promised by our partners will soon appear at the front, in particular shells from Germany and France. But, as Musienko notes, this will not immediately completely solve the problem of their shortage, since it takes time for European countries to increase the production of ammunition.
