The wind is bad and it is not the time to weaken. As Ukrainian forces face a critical phase in the face of a new Russian push into the Donbass, Western leaders gathered in Munich for the security conference, which is held each year in the Bavarian capital, wanted to address to Russia, Friday, February 17, a message of unity and determination, accompanied by an observation: this conflict will be long, we must be ready for it.
A week before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, unity was first evident in the number and rank of leaders present: US Vice President Kamala Harris, accompanied by a large, bipartisan delegation from Congress, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Baltic leaders, all escorted by several of their ministers.
The European Union (EU) is also present in force, with the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the Council, Charles Michel, as well as several Vice-Presidents and Commissioners. Without forgetting NATO, represented by its Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.
“Decisions that are too late reinforce Putin’s dictatorship. » Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian President
Another sign of unity: the dinner which brought together MM. Macron, Scholz and Duda, while Warsaw and Berlin are mired in a bilateral quarrel and while on Ukraine, Poland did not hesitate last year to criticize the hesitations of Germany and France in terms of arms deliveries. This summit in “Weimar triangle” format had not met since February 8, 2022, two weeks before the start of the war.
A year ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky physically participated in the conference, in civilian clothes, at a time when, despite intelligence gathered by the Americans and the British, no one in Munich wanted to believe that Russia was about to invade Ukraine. On Friday, the now familiar image of a president in a khaki sweatshirt, his face marked by fatigue, appeared on the screen in the large conference room. “Last year, I was waiting for the determination of the West, I wanted to hear: ‘Ukrainians, we are with you!’ Unfortunately I didn’t hear it until much later.” the invasion, launched the Ukrainian president. As in all his interventions, Mr. Zelensky thanked the allied countries for the assistance provided to Ukraine, but implored them to speed up their arms deliveries and the process of his country’s accession to the EU. “Decisions that are too late reinforce Putin’s dictatorship”he warned them.
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