Ukraine’s Zelenskyy to rally leaders for support – DW – 02/17/2024

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, German Chancellor Olaf Scholzhas said Europe must strengthen its ability to defend itself to deter would-be aggressors regardless of who wins the upcoming US elections or how the war in Ukraine turns out.

“We Europeans must take much more care of our own security, now and in the future,” Scholz said. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has hiked its spending on defense to 2% of output and will continue to hit that target, he added.

Germany is also discussing with allies France and Britain the development of distance-capable precision weapons in order to ensure its deterrence strategy remained cutting edge, Scholz said.

He also called on Europeans to match the billions spent by the United States in military aid to Ukraine. “A comparable effort must be the minimum that every European country undertakes,” he said.

However, Scholz avoided the question of whether Germany would supply Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. Germany is already doing a lot for Ukraine, he said when asked whether he would rule out a delivery.

According to the German chancellor, “Russia has not achieved any of its war aims” in Ukraine. However, despite “enormous own losses,” “significant parts of the Russian armed forces are intact,” Scholz said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will seek to shake off war-weary allies and bolster financial and military support at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday at a critical juncture in his country’s struggle against Russia.

His speech to the conference, in which he is expected to seek immediate help for his soldiers, will take on added urgency after Ukraine withdrew from the frontline town of Avdiivka under pressure from Russian attacks.

It also comes a day after pacts were signed with France and Germany to maintain long-term defense support for Kyiv.

Zelenskyy last attended the Munich Security Conference two years ago. That was days before Russia invaded his country. Last year, he addressed the conference via video link.

Less than an hour before the official start of the Munich Security Conference, Russian officials announced that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny had died in prison.

Navalny’s wife, Yulia, who was already in Munich when the news broke, urged the international community to fight the “horrific regime” in Russia.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the world was becoming increasingly divided despite “existential challenges” like the climate crisis. 

US Vice President Kamal Harris has reassured allies that Washington would continue to take a leading role in global security. “In these unsettled times, it is clear America cannot retreat,” she said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held “candid and constructive” talks on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s war with Hamas are dominating the conversations, on stage and on the sidelines, among the 180 heads of state and security chiefs gathered in Munich.

dh/rc (AFP, AP,dpa, Reuters)