Summary of the day
Leaders, ministers, diplomats and experts met for the second day of the annual Munich Security Conference.
The day focused heavily on Russia’s war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East.
The chief topic of conversation amongst the western defence establishment inside the gilded Hotel Bayerischer Hof was whether Ukraine’s problems are fixable – the answer is mainly yes – but only if the West has the political will to act.
Speaking at the conference, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said Europeans need to do much more on security.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, told the conference participants that “2024 must become a time for a full restoration of a rules-based world order.”
The Ukrainian leader said that if Donald Trump visits Ukraine he would be ready to go with him to the frontline.
Zelenskiy also told world leaders not to fear Vladimir Putin’s defeat.
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU “has to step up its defence industrial base.”
David Cameron, the British foreign secretary, signalled that there would be “consequences” in the wake of the death of Alexei Navalny.
Germany’s Scholz said he was really depressed to hear of Navalny’s death.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, called for the return of hostages to be a top priority. “The most important thing for everybody to understand, if one wants to move on and find a horizon in this dire situation, which was initiated by Hamas,” he said, “one has to resolve the issue of the hostages.”
Representatives of hostages’ families were in the audience in Munich as he made his plea.
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, said that when it comes to the prospects for a deal, “we made some good progress in the last few weeks in the negotiations” but “the last few days has not been progressing as expected, and I believe there are still differences.”
Israel’s Herzog said he had a “good discussion” with Qatar’s prime minister.
Asked about the prospect for normalisation with Israel, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the Saudi foreign minister, said in Munich that “now, the priority must be ending the current humanitarian catastrophe that is happening in Gaza.”
Addressing the prospect of a possible Israeli operation in Rafah, Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s foreign minister, told the conference that “any extensive military action there will have a devastating effect on the humanitarian situation.”
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, warned against “dehumanisation.”
Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister who is widely considered a frontrunner to become the next secretary-general of Nato, said we should “stop moaning and whining and nagging about Trump.”
Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, said in Munich that Beijing wants to be a force for stability and that China and Europe should avoid “ideological distractions.”
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s minister of external affairs, defended his country’s approach to foreign policy, saying “life is complicated.”
In a speech today in Hungary, the country’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said it is on course to ratify Sweden’s accession at the beginning of its parliament’s spring session, which begins on February 26.
Updated
Israeli president 'impressed' with Qatari prime minister
Asked about his sense of where negotiations stand, Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, said at the Munich Security Conference that there’s “an international consensus amongst the main leadership that I’ve met here that this has to be done quickly.”
He added: “I was impressed that the prime minister of Qatar is very well-informed and involved in many details, also with the Egyptians. There’s a worldwide effort which is coordinated by the Americans as well, and the Israeli team, vis-a-vis the other side.”
The president also said:
I can’t analyse and tell you how much of a chance do I give to this effort. I do believe that there is an effort of major, I would say, of major weight involved, international weight. I do believe, and I can confirm, that it is an item of highest priority for the sides concerned in this process.
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Return of hostages must be top priority, Israeli president says in Munich
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, is now on stage.
Asked about news reports that he met with Qatar’s prime minister in Munich and where negotiations stand to return hostages, the Israeli president said “this is the most important issue on the agenda.”
He acknowledged the presence of representatives of hostages’ families and former hostages in the audience, calling for the world to keep this a “top priority” on the agenda.
Herzog also said:
I met with the prime minister of Qatar yesterday. It was a good discussion. I think he’s doing a major effort, he’s taken major effort and devoting enormous focus on this issue. It’s complicated, it’s difficult.
One has to make sure that we know whether there is anybody who takes decision on the other side. After all, you are dealing with people who have been hidden and scattered all around Gaza, mostly in the tunnels.
“The most important thing for everybody to understand, if one wants to move on and find a horizon in this dire situation, which was initiated by Hamas, in cruelty of unprecedented record,” he said, “one has to resolve the issue of the hostages and bring them back home safely and as soon as possible.”
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'Priority must be ending the current humanitarian catastrophe', Saudi minister says
Asked about the prospect for normalisation with Israel, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the Saudi foreign minister, said in Munich that “now, the priority must be ending the current humanitarian catastrophe that is happening in Gaza.”
“So where we are now is, is we are focused on a ceasefire, we are focused on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and we are focused on humanitarian access for the people of Gaza.”
He added: “It is absolutely unacceptable that we have not yet been able to resolve the simple issue of access for humanitarian goods into Gaza.”
“But I will say,” he added, “we are firmly convinced, that the only pathway towards security and stability for everyone in the region, including Israel, is through a Palestinian state, and that – once we have an end to the fighting in Gaza – will continue to be our focus.”
The Saudi minister said Palestinian statehood is “the right thing to do” but also “the pragmatic, correct thing to do for regional security and stability.”
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Military action in Rafah would be 'devastating', Egyptian minister says in Munich
Asked about a potential Israeli operation in Rafah, Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s foreign minister, said at the Munich Security Conference:
The issue of displacement, which is a violation of international humanitarian law, whether it’s internal or external, cannot be tolerated.
Its consequences and the threats that it poses to Egypt’s national security are immense.
It puts a strain on our bilateral relations with Israel.
And we need to avoid the very tragic consequences on the civilians of Gaza who are now amassed – 1.3, 1.4 million – in the most densely populated area in the world.
You can imagine that any extensive military action there will have a devastating effect on the humanitarian situation. People are already suffering.
Updated
The Qatari prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said in Munich that he hopes “what happened after October 7 and the war in Gaza will represent a wake up call that the situation is not sustainable and we need to step up and to look at a better future for the people in the region, whether it’s the Palestinians, the Arabs, the Israelis, everyone.”
“We want to see a better future for everyone,” he added.
Addressing a question on Hamas, he pointed to the PLO as the representatives and said “the Palestinians, they have the same right as any other people or any other country to choose whoever is participating with them or not.”
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'Time is not in our favour,” Qatari prime minister says of negotiations to end Israel-Hamas war
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, is on stage at the Munich Security Conference.
Asked about prospects for a deal in the war between Israel and Hamas, he said “time is not in our favour.”
He added:
We made some good progress in the last few weeks in the negotiations, and we been trying to reach an agreement between the two parties.
Yet, the last few days has not been progressing as expected, and I believe there are still differences.
He said that agreements always have two elements: addressing the humanitarian conditions and the number of people to be released.
I believe in this agreement we are talking at a bigger scale. And we still see some difficulties on the humanitarian part of these negotiations.
The prime minister also said:
If we are able to reach in the next few days some good conditions on that side, I believe that we can see a deal happening very soon.
Yet, the pattern in the last few days are not really very promising. But as I always repeat, you know, we will always remain optimistic.
Updated
Behind the Scenes
Beyond the speeches and panels, the Munich Security Conference is a networking event, where politicians, diplomats and experts bump into each other (sometimes literally) in the narrow, crammed hallways.
The result is senior figures from around the globe catching up, in bilateral meetings, coffee breaks and yes, in hallways.
The Guardian came across Belarus opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Romania’s foreign minister Luminița Odobescu, having an imprompu hallway chat.
Ukrainian minister outlines challenges with ammunition
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said Ukraine is facing two challenges with ammunition.
“The first one is the quality and sustainability of supply,” he said. “And the situation today is bad – and its not my political assessment, it’s the message we all receive from the frontline,” he stressed.
Another problem, he said, is that “because all of the howitzers and cannons of 155 calibre were produced specifically for certain type of this calibre – delivered, produced in a specific country – you cannot use the same round with every cannon of 155 calibre. So politicians tick the box and get credited for delivering these tons of rounds, but on the ground, it becomes a massive technological problem – to send the right round to the right cannon.”
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Orbán says Hungary on course to ratify Sweden's Nato membership
While Hungarian leaders are not present in Munich, Budapest’s move to drag out the ratification of Sweden’s Nato membership had fuelled frustration for western security officials over the past months.
In a speech today, the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said important steps have been taken to rebuild trust with Sweden and that Hungary is on course to ratify Sweden’s accession at the beginning of its parliament’s spring session.
The spring session is set to begin on February 26.
Updated
While leaders, ministers and experts debate at the conference, outside two parallel protests were talking place: a pro-Ukrainian demonstration and a pro-Palestinian march.
Meanwhile, outside the Munich Security Conference: pic.twitter.com/b8tfl6JtHR
— Lili Bayer (@liliebayer) February 17, 2024
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Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said he thinks “there is an extraordinary opportunity for Israel in the months ahead.”
“Virtually every Arab country” now “wants to integrate Israel into the region, to normalise relations if they haven’t already done so, to provide security assurances and commitments so that Israel can feel more safe and more secure,” he said.
“At the same time, there are genuine efforts underway, led by Arab countries, to reform, revitalise revamp the Palestinian Authority so that it can be more effective in representing the interests of the Palestinian people, and could be a better partner for Israel in that future,” Blinken added.
“And there’s also,” he said, “the imperative which I mentioned, that’s more urgent than ever, to proceed to a Palestinian state – one that also ensures the security of Israel and makes the necessary commitments to do so.”
Updated
Romanian minister cautions about risks in Black Sea region
Luminița Odobescu, Romania’s foreign minister who is attending the Munich conference, has said she is convinced Europe and the US will continue working together, while warning about risks for the Black Sea region.
“This year at the MSC we need to act resolutely in support of Ukraine and reaffirm the strength of the transatlantic bond,” she told the Guardian in a text message.
“At a time when war has returned to Europe, I am convinced that the EU-US joint action will continue, with positive, tangible effects for the security, resilience and prosperity of Europe, especially for the Black Sea region,” the minister said.
She added:
The war Russia continues to wage against Ukraine puts Black Sea security under great risk. Ukraine has succeeded to push back the Russian naval forces from Crimea and counter Russia’s drone attacks. I would like to commend their courage and sacrifice for defending their country. At the same time, resumption of Russian attacks against the Ukrainian ports in the Danube, increases the risks for us, for the Black Sea region, as these attacks happen at 400 meters from our border.
The minister also addressed the death of Russia’s opposition leader:
But the appalling news of the death of Alexei Navalny is another strident signal that Russian authoritarian regime is reckless in brutally silencing any dissidence. Freedom of speech is at risk wherever Russia acts. This is clear for all of us and this is why we ought to support Ukraine to win this war.
Blinken cautions against 'dehumanisation'
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, warned that “the greatest poison in our common well is dehumanisation. And we see that in all directions. And if you lose sight of the humanity of someone else, then your heart is hardened to a point where anything is acceptable and anything is possible.”
He added that “part of our responsibility is to do what we can, to push back, to avoid, to call out dehumanisation wherever it’s coming from, in whatever direction, because if we can’t get at that, it’s very hard, if not impossible, to do other things.”
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In Munich, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, met with G7 foreign ministers and said he urged them “to swiftly move forward with decisions regarding the confiscation of frozen Russian assets and their use for Ukraine’s recovery and defense.”
“Russia must pay,” he said.
I attended the G7 ministerial meeting in Munich to thank the Italian Presidency and all G7 partners for their strong support for Ukraine.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 17, 2024
I urged G7 colleagues to swiftly move forward with decisions regarding the confiscation of frozen Russian assets and their use for Ukraine's… pic.twitter.com/5JDfz5Iv16
Inside the conference hotel: questions on political will to help Kyiv and shock at Navalny's death
The chief topic of conversation amongst the western defence establishment inside the gilded Hotel Bayerischer Hof is whether Ukraine’s problems are fixable – the answer is mainly yes – but only if the West has the political will to act.
But many remain shocked at the capacity of Vladimir Putin to be brutal.
The news of Alexei Navalny’s death on the opening day of the Munich Security Conference is not seen as a coincidence, but instead a cynical message by Putin to the West that he is in charge and utterly immune to its constraints.
Putin will have known his wife Navalny’s wife Yulia was attending the conference and thought he would remind all those Nato men in their uniforms a cruel message that he does not play by their rules.
One of the difficulties for the supporters of Ukraine is the Munich Security Conference is the quintessential event designed to attract the transatlantic defence establishment, and hence Kyiv’s most ardent backers.
Republican isolationists by their nature do not travel to Munich and Lindsay Graham, the Republican Senator and for many years the leading Republican backing Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week defected, bending the knee to Donald Trump, and deciding not to make the trip to Germany for the first time in more than a decade.
Speaking to the former Speaker Nancy Pelosi – omnipresent at the hotel – may be pleasant, but she changes few of the minds that matter.
That leaves Zelenskiy and Nato commanders wondering how best to find some way through guilt or appealing to self-interest to the voices that matter on the Hill, blocking aid.
Nato Europeans feel they have put their own house in order and finally set an example pointing to the 18 Nato countries in Europe now meeting the 2 % target. But they realise it is not enough, and many delegates are left scratching their heads how the Republican Party still needs persuading that allowing Putin to win in Ukraine is not in the US self-interest.
In seeking new arguments European politicians point to the bipartisan belief in the US about the threat posed by Iran, and how Ukraine’s defeat would benefit Tehran, or set an example of weakness to China.
Zelenskiy himself tried gently to mock the self indulgence of Republican politicians that have blocked a decision on the aid package for Ukraine, partly by going on a two week holiday.
“Please remember, everyone, that dictators don’t go on vacation. Hatred knows no pause. Enemy artillery is not silent due to procedural troubles. Warriors opposing the aggressor need sufficient strength,” the president said.
Initially reluctant to discuss the Republican mindset, his headline grabbing invitation to Trump to come to Ukraine’s frontline came as a result of a question about whether he would invite Trump to Kyiv. He went one better offering to take him to see real war, a delphic reference to Trump’s draft dodging.
The men bearing uniform here, and their advisers insist in public Ukraine has the ability to last the year, and not see its frontlines collapse.
Even in private briefings, senior western officials insist they do not share the narrative of hopelessness or that Article 5 – the one for all raison d’être of the Nato charter – is under threat from Moscow.
Yes, Putin is internally secure, his leadership group stable, and he has less to lose than say five years ago, but if given the weapons Ukraine needs, Ukraine can thrive.
In short: It is one thing to say it is fixable, but another to know if the politicians have the capacity to fix.
'Life is complicated', Indian minister says in response to foreign policy critique
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s minister of external affairs, has defended his country’s approach to foreign policy.
Sitting next to his American and German counterparts, he said in response to a moderator’s question:
Your question, do we have multiple options, answer is yes.
Is that a problem? Why should it be a problem, if I’m smart enough to have multiple options, you should be admiring me, you know, you shouldn’t be criticising.
Now, is that a problem for other people? I don’t think so, I don’t think so – certainly in this case, and in that case, because, look: we try to explain what are the different pulls and pressures which countries have.
And it’s very hard to have a unidimensional relationship.
Now, again, different countries and different relationships have different histories.
If I were to look say, between the US and Germany, it is rooted, you know, there’s alliance nature to it, there’s a certain history on which that relationship is grounded.
In our case, it’s very different.
So, I don’t want you to even inadvertently give the impression that we are purely, you know, unsentimentally transactional. We are not. We get along with people, we believe in things, we share things, we agree on some things.
But you know, there are times when, you know, when you’re located in different places, have different levels of development, different experiences – all of that gets into it.
So life is complicated, life is differentiated.
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Addressing Washington’s relationship with Beijing, Antony Blinken said he just met his counterpart in Munich, following other meetings.
Yes, we have a competition.
There are areas where we are contesting each other.
But there are also areas where we can and should cooperate because it’s in our interest to do that.
Antony Blinken said that “when it comes to strategic competition, and there is no doubt that we have one with China, there are a few things to be said: first, we have an obligation to manage that relationship responsibly, and I think that’s something that we hear from countries around the world, and it’s clearly in our interest to do so.”
He added: “When it comes to other countries, the point is not to say to country X, Y or Z, ‘you have to choose’, the point is to offer a good choice.”
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said that it is in America’s interest to invest in its alliances.
“If you’re not at the table in the international system, you’re going to be on the menu,” he said.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, has joked that the Munich Security Conference is known as “speed-dating for diplomats.”
Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, said at the Munich Security Conference that “most of the countries, they know, that the Charter of the United Nations, the rule of law, is their life insurance.”
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'Alexey's body is not in the morgue', spokesperson says
Meanwhile, in Russia: Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson says his body is not in the morgue.
Alexey's lawyer and his mother have arrived at the Salekhard morgue. It's closed, however, the colony has assured them it's working and Navalny's body is there. The lawyer called the phone number which was on the door. He was told he was the seventh caller today. Alexey's body is… pic.twitter.com/CsPbONUBrn
— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 17, 2024
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Speaking of the situation in the Middle East, Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, said that “to address the Red Sea issue, the root cause must be resolved, and the root cause is the ongoing fighting in Gaza.”
He added:
China’s position is clear on that: first, an immediate ceasefire must be realised. No more fighting.
And second, to make sure the humanitarian corridors are unimpeded.
And third, hold an international peace conference as soon as possible to revive the two-state solution.
We cannot allow this humanitarian disaster to continue any more.
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The US vice-president, Kamala Harris, is meeting bilaterally with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Spectre of Nato sceptic Trump stalks European security conference
The annual meeting of western leaders and security officials in Munich is being held this year under a dark cloud of foreboding surrounding Donald Trump’s potential return to the US presidency.
European governments have been particularly shaken by Trump’s apparent strength, and Joe Biden’s weakness, in swing states, in combination with what the former president has said in recent days about the Nato alliance.
Trump reportedly contemplated withdrawal from Nato in his first term, and in recent statements he has made clear that, at the very least, he would not order American troops to go to the defence of any alliance member against Russia that had not spent the Nato target of 2% of GDP on defence.
“It creates a different tier, like frequent flyer points. It’s not so much a coalition of the willing, as a coalition of the billing. It turns on its head the whole idea of mutual defence,” said Fiona Hill, who served as senior director for Russia in Trump’s NSC but who has since been an outspoken critic of his approach on Russia.
Speaking from the Munich Security Conference, Hill said that the growing prospect of a Nato sceptic in the Oval Office had concentrated minds among European officials.
“Before they were just asking the same question over and over again: “What’s the likelihood of Trump coming back? And they kept hoping they would get a different answer,” she said. “I think they have now got the message … He gave them a wake-up call.”
Read the full story here.
China and Europe should stay clear of 'ideological distractions', Chinese minister says in Munich
Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, has taken the stage at the Munich Security Conference. He said Beijing want to be a force for stability, and that China and Europe should avoid “ideological distractions.”
The minister, who is also director of the general office at the foreign affairs commission of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, said:
The key message I wish to deliver here, is this: no matter how the world changes, China, as a responsible major country, will keep its major principles and policies consistent and stable and serve as a staunch force for stability in a turbulent world.
He added that “Russia is China’s largest neighbouring country” and that a “China-Russia relationship that grows steadily” is one that “serves the strategic stability of the Asia-Pacific and the world.”
The Chinese minister also said “a more stable and closer relationship between China and Europe not only works to the advantage of both sides, but also brings benefits to the whole world.”
He stressed that “it is imperative that China and Europe stay clear of geopolitical and ideological distractions, see each other as partners rather than rivals, and join hands to inject positive energy into a volatile world, and point the way for overcoming difficulties together.”
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Von der Leyen says she would create dedicated defence commissioner job
“If I would be the next European commission president, I would install a commissioner for defence – I think it’s reasonable,” said Ursula von der Leyen, who is highly likely to get a second term.
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US aid 'critical', Ukrainian minister says after meeting Blinken
Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, said he met the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, in Munich.
“I also communicated the sense of urgency and the current priority needs of Ukraine’s defenders: ammunition, air defense, and long-range capabilities,” he wrote.
“In this context, I presented arguments for providing Ukraine with 300 km+ range ATACMS missiles,” he said, adding: “continued U.S. military aid is critical.”
Blinken, meanwhile, said “the United States is committed to Ukraine’s defense and its future.”
I met with @SecBlinken in Munich to discuss the continued US support for Ukraine. I thanked him for everything the United States has already done for Ukraine.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 17, 2024
I also communicated the sense of urgency and the current priority needs of Ukraine’s defenders: ammunition, air defense,…
The United States is committed to Ukraine's defense and its future. Today in Munich, I spoke with @DmytroKuleba about U.S. support for recovery efforts and a free and prosperous Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/JoGNJHQ5NR
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 17, 2024
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'Navalny was murdered', spokesperson says
Kira Yarmysh, Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson, confirmed today that the Russian opposition leader has died and asked for his body to be returned to his family.
“Alexey Navalny was murdered,” she wrote on social media.
“His death occurred on February 16 at 2:17 p.m. local time, according to the official message to Alexey’s mother,” she said.
Yarmysh also added that “an employee of the colony said that the body of Navalny is now in Salekhard. It was picked up by investigators from the IC. Now they are conducting ‘investigations’ with him. We demand that Alexey Navalny’s body be handed over to his family immediately.”
Alexey Navalny was murdered. His death occurred on February 16 at 2:17 p.m. local time, according to the official message to Alexey’s mother.
— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 17, 2024
An employee of the colony said that the body of Navalny is now in Salekhard. It was picked up by investigators from the IC. Now they are…
Speaking in Munich, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU “has to step up its defence industrial base, without any question.”
The Commission will put forward a defence industrial strategy in about three weeks, she said.
“We have to spend more,” she said, noting that recent increases are not enough. “We have to spend better,” she added.
There should be a good return on invest, von der Leyen said, adding that we want good jobs in the EU.
And Europe is learning a lot in Ukraine, the Commission chief said, noting that the EU will open an office in Kyiv for defence innovation.
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We need to 'stop moaning and whining about Trump', Dutch leader says
Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister who is widely considered a frontrunner to become the next secretary-general of Nato, said we should “stop moaning and whining and nagging about Trump.”
Speaking at the Munich conference, he said:
We do not spend more on defence, or we ramp up ammunition production, because Trump might come back.
It’s up to the Americans. I’m not an American, I cannot vote in the US.
And we have to work with whoever is on the dancefloor. So we have to do this because we want to do this, because it is in our interest. This is crucial.
And all that whining and moaning about Trump – I hear that constantly over the last couple of days, let’s stop doing that.
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US congress delay has 'direct impact' on frontline in Ukraine, Nato chief warns
“The problem now is of course the lack of decision in the US congress means that the flow from the US has gone down, and that has a direct impact on the frontline in Ukraine,” said the Nato secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg.
“This is not only about making the right decision, but it’s about making the right decision early – as quickly as possible,” he said at the Munich Security Conference.
“It’s urgent, every week we wait means that there will be more people killed on the frontline in Ukraine.”
The Nato chief added:
It’s not for me to give advice on how to pass legislation through the US congress, but what I can say is the vital and urgent need for the US to decide on a package for Ukraine, because they need that support.
And we have a burden-sharing between Europe and Canada and the United States, so now it’s for the US to deliver what they have promised.
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Deterrence remains credible, Nato chief says
Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said at the conference that “we don’t see any imminent against any Nato ally.”
The world has become more dangerous, but Nato has become stronger. And the purpose of Nato is to prevent war, is to ensure that there is no room in Moscow for any miscalculation about Nato’s readiness and resolve to protect all allies, and to it make clear that an attack on one ally will trigger a response from the whole alliance, and as long as we convey that message clearly to Moscow, no ally will be attacked. So our deterrence remains credible.
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'There should be consequences' for Navalny death, Cameron says in Munich
David Cameron, the British foreign secretary, has signalled that there would be “consequences” in the wake of the death of Alexei Navalny, PA reports.
Speaking to broadcasters at the Munich Security Conference, the foreign secretary said:
Reflecting overnight makes you think what an incredibly brave man this was. His life revealed so much about the true nature of (Vladimir) Putin’s ghastly regime. And his death has revealed that all over again.
There should be consequences. When appalling human rights outrages like this take place, what we do is we look at whether there are individual people that are responsible and whether there are individual measures and actions we can take. We don’t announce them in advance, so I can’t say anymore than that. But that is what we will be looking at.
Of course we have already summoned the ambassador and made clear our views about this dreadful event and the way this person was treated.
Cameron is set to meet with G7 foreign ministers today in Munich.
“I am clear that we will be taking action and I would urge others do to the same,” he said.
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Kaja Kallas, the Estonian prime minister, said at the Munich Security Conference that Alexei Navalny’s death “shows that Putin’s playbook hasn’t changed.”
This is the way he operates. This is the dictators handbook in real life. So we should be aware of this.
And like president Zelenskiy said, let’s not discuss to do something, we have to do everything to stop him.
Because history rhymes. We have seen this already in 1930s, the same thing … this not stopping aggressor when we have the chance to stop him, and then seeing aggression spread all over the world.
Let’s do the right thing, let’s learn something from the history.
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Zelenskiy says he is ready to take Trump to frontline, underscores real war not 'Instagram'
Asked whether it would be a good idea to invite Donald Trump to Kyiv , Volodymyr Zelenskiy said:
I invited him publicly, but it depends on his, I mean, his wishes.
He added:
If Trump, Mr. Trump, if he will come, I’m ready even to go with him to the frontline.
I think if we are in dialogue how to finish the war, we have to demonstrate people who are decision-makers, what does it mean, the real war – not in Instagram. Real war.
Asked what he would tell Republicans in the US, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he will meet with senators today.
They have to understand what’s going on. And think that, it’s – I don’t want to push such message to the United States, because they did a lot for us, did a lot – I see Nancy Pelosi, thank you so much – we did together a lot. Thank you from our people, from all our heart, thank you so much.
Just, we have to work in one joint team.
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Do not ask Ukraine when the war will end, Zelenskiy says concluding speech calling for rules-based world order
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, concluded his speech at the Munich Security Conference telling the assembled politicians, diplomats and experts:
Please, do not ask Ukraine when the war will end.
Ask yourself, why is Putin still able to continue it.
He added:
May our world based on rules never become the world of yesterday.
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'We should not fear Putin’s defeat' Zelenskiy tells leaders in Munich
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on stage in Munich, warned that “if we do not act now, Putin will manage to make the next years catastrophic – catastrophic for other nations as well.”
He insisted Ukraine can win.
We can get our land back. And Putin can lose. And this has already happened more than once on the battlefield.
Speaking of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Zelenskiy said:
He has made the genocide of our people just an ordinary part of his policy.
Referring to the reported death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Zelenskiy said Putin is a “thug who maintains power through corruption and violence.”
He added:
We should not fear Putin’s defeat. Putin is a threat to all free nations.
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'How long will the world let Russia be like this?' Zelenskiy asks world leaders in Munich
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, has taken the stage at the Munich Security Conference.
“2024 must become a time for a full restoration of a rules-based world order,” he said.
Speaking to a room filled with world leaders, he said “there is no one for whom the ongoing war in Europe does not pose a threat.”
“This is Russia’s war against any rules at all,” he stressed. “But how long will the world let Russia be like this? This is the main question today.”
He added:
Perhaps people will have to live in a world where local wars will not remain local. Any outbreak of a war risks turning into a global catastrophe.
Perhaps the weaponisation of food or migration will break existing regional balances and undermine many political systems, not only in Europe but also in the Middle East, in Africa, in the Americas.
Perhaps, Europe is facing times when the question of invoking Article 5 of the Nato treaty will be not be a question for Washington at all, but rather for European capitals.
There are hundreds of such ‘perhaps’. On February 23, 2022, none of them existed. Now, they are a part of reality.
And what we lack in this reality: security. Neither for the largest nor for the smallest state.
We must make security a reality again.
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Europeans need to do more on security, German chancellor says amid concerns about Trump's Nato critique
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference this morning, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, opted to focus on the importance of supporting Ukraine and called for strengthening the European pillar of Nato.
“We therefore all have to ask ourselves, two years after the start of the war, are we actually doing enough to signal to Putin we are in for the long haul?” he said.
The chancellor added:
Are we doing enough, given that we know full well what Russia’s victory in Ukraine would mean, namely the end of Ukraine as a free, independent, democratic state, the destruction of our peaceful order in Europe, the gravest test of the UN charter since 1945, and not least, an encouragement to any and all autocrats around the world to use force to resolve conflicts.
The political and financial prices we would then have to pay be many times higher than all the expense of our support to Ukraine today and in the future.
The chancellor also said:
The threat from Russia is real. That is why our deterrence and defence capabilities have to be credible and remain credible.
At the same time, we don’t want a conflict between Russia and Nato, and for that reason all countries supporting Ukraine have been in agreement ever since the start of the war that we will not send our own troops to Ukraine.
However, Putin and the military establishment in Moscow must be left in no doubt that we, the world’s strongest military alliance, are able to defend every square meter of our allied territory.
And for that, it’s important that we further strengthen the European pillar in Nato, also in the sphere of deterrence.
Germany will invest 2% of GDP in defence, he stressed.
“Regardless of how Russia’s war in Ukraine ends, and regardless also of the outcome of elections on either side of the Atlantic, one thing is crystal clear: we Europeans need to do much more for our security now and in the future,” the chancellor said, adding that “our readiness to do so is considerable” and that he said this to the American president, Joe Biden.
He also thanked North American allies for being strong allies and friends.
Without naming Donald Trump, the German leader said:
Any relativisation of Nato’s mutual defence guarantee will only benefit those who, just like Putin, want to weaken us.
Asked about the reported death of Alexei Navalny, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said:
I’m really depressed having heard about the death of Navalny, though we don’t have every proof now, it seems to be the case that this really happened.
And I remember my talk to Navalny, when he was here in Berlin for, recovering from the first attempt to kill him. And I spoke with his wife and his little son… and I was really impressed by the courage he has, going back, knowing that this might be a very difficult time for him and also a situation that might cause his death, because of the way of dictatorship Putin developed.
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Welcome to the blog
Good morning and welcome back to another special edition of the live blog, coming to you from the Munich Security Conference.
It’s the second day of the conference, which brings together policymakers from across the globe for discussions on security.
In the spotlight today will be Russia’s war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East, as key figures from both regions will take the stage.
