now is not the time for dialogue with Russia

An international conference on security opened in Munich on Friday, attended by more than 40 leaders of states and governments, as well as more than 90 representatives of the cabinets of ministers of different countries.

Only Russia and Iran were not among those invited. As the director of the event Christoph Huisgen explained to Radio Liberty, last year Russia refused to send its representatives to the conference, and this year the invitation did not follow due to the war of aggression that Russia is waging in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s reluctance to stop hostilities. However, according to him, numerous representatives of Russian civil society abroad, including Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Garry Kasparov, were invited to the conference.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz began his speech immediately after the speech of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Scholz rejected the accusations that the supply of weapons by Western countries is prolonging the war in Ukraine. “The opposite is true. The sooner President Putin realizes that he will not achieve his imperialist goal, the greater the chance of a quick end to the war and the withdrawal of the Russian occupying forces,” said Scholz.

The chancellor expressed confidence that Vladimir Putin’s course will not be crowned with success. “Putin’s revisionism will not win,” the German politician emphasized. According to him, Ukraine defends itself courageously, the European Union is united in its aspirations, and NATO will accept two new members – Finland and Sweden. In addition, Scholz noted that Germany will increase defense spending to two percent of GDP in the long term.

Olaf Scholz once again emphasized that Germany and the entire West “will support Ukraine to the extent and for as long as necessary.” Unlike Zelensky, Scholz did not express confidence that the war will end this year. The chancellor noted that it would be smart to prepare for a long war and make it clear to Putin “that we are ready to support Ukraine for a long time.” According to Scholz, in Germany, despite the criticism, there is broad support for the policy of the Cabinet of Ministers regarding Ukraine.

At the same time, Scholz emphasized the willingness of the German government to maintain a balance between quickly providing support to Ukraine and avoiding involuntary escalation. The chancellor said: “I am glad that US President Joe Biden and many other allies see this as I do.”

Scholz drew away from himself and Germany in spite of the fact that he was acting too slowly. “Thoroughness should prevail over rash reactions, unity over solo performances,” the chancellor said. At the same time, Scholz also noted that the issue of airplanes “is not on the agenda, there is no reason to discuss it.” According to the chancellor, it is first necessary to ensure that the support, which was decided upon, was actually provided, having in mind the supply of Leopard tanks. Despite pressure from Poland, neither she nor other NATO countries, except Germany and Portugal, have fulfilled their promises. Scholz emphasized that the delivery of Leopards will have a concrete military effect, but the most important result will be that Putin will understand that he miscalculated. “Putin thinks that he has to hold out long enough for the West to end its support, but that will not happen,” Scholz noted.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed his hope at the conference that soon NATO allies will also be ready to provide tanks. According to him, the German government is negotiating about it every day. Currently, Berlin is at the head of the list of states that supply weapons to Ukraine, while other countries are slowing down the process, Pistorius emphasized. The politician also noted the determination to support Ukraine with supplies of ammunition. “If we leave Ukraine, it will lose the war,” Pistorius said.

After Olaf Scholz’s speech at the Munich conference, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech. Observers noticed that the chancellor left the hall before the speech of the French president. At the same time, Macron was not present in the hall during Scholz’s speech.

Macron emphasized that he does not currently see any opportunity for negotiations with Moscow. According to him, “now is not the time for dialogue” with Russia. The President of France noted that the negotiations can take place only under the conditions that “Ukraine will choose.” Kyiv’s allies must “put funds into Ukraine’s hands” so that it can return to the negotiating table. “The Russian war of aggression must fail. We must provide our support more intensively,” the French president said, stressing that if Ukraine must defend Europe, it must have the necessary weapons. According to Macron, the coming weeks and months will be “decisive” for the further course of the war. At the same time, he also emphasized that France is “ready for a longer conflict.”

At the same time, leading politicians from Europe and the USA demanded criminal prosecution of President Vladimir Putin at the Munich conference. According to the participants of the conference, it is necessary to bring Russia and its president to account not only for the committed crimes, but also for unleashing an illegal war of aggression.

In parallel with the Munich conference, the film about Vladimir Zelensky Superpower by the Irish actor and director Sean Penn, co-authored with Aaron Kaufman, was shown at the Berlinale film festival in the capital of Germany. Before that, Zelensky addressed the guests and participants of the festival with a video message.