The Munich Security Conference hosted the Ukrainian president last year. In a dark suit and tie, with no trace of a beard, Volodymyr Zelensky remarked that given his country’s armed conflict, which lasted longer than World War II, “the architecture of world security is fragile and needs updating.” because the rules don’t work. “It’s cough syrup when we need a vaccine against the coronavirus,” he said five days before Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion. This time, he addressed the leaders and experts present in Bavaria via video conference, as usual, to question the urgency of the promised support and launch a warning: “It is clear” that Ukraine will not be the last stop of Putin’s invasion are.
“It will continue its movement to the end, including all other states that were once part of the Soviet bloc,” Zelensky warned, citing Moldova as an example. To prevent this scenario, the Ukrainian president appealed to the Allies to speed up the resupply of fighter planes and tanks, using biblical references. “David defeated Goliath with courage and a sling, with action, not with talk: we have the courage, but we must strengthen the sling.”
The comparison to the biblical characters is inspired by the visit of Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen the day before when he referred to the Sling of David air defense system when he said his country does not have it but believes it to be “only temporarily” until you have. Cohen was not referring to transferring defense systems to Ukraine.
Zelensky reiterated the urgency of the armament request. “There is no alternative to speed: our response depends on it.” Also because, he recalled, “the Kremlin can break the peace of all gathered here” and “the longer the EU enlargement talks go on, the stronger Putin gets. The longer the NATO accession talks go on, the stronger Russia becomes. The more the condemnations of the annexation of Crimea fade, the more expansionist Russia becomes”.
Present at the opening session, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has been criticized for his slowness in responding to Ukraine’s requests – and clashed with the head of diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock – tried to turn the tables by urging everyone to use tanks can send that “really have to do it now”. And he assured that he was conducting an “intense campaign” for a rapid response.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the first Leopard 2 tanks will arrive in Ukraine in the last week of March, while Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte assured in Kiev that they will send more than 100 tanks along with Berlin and Copenhagen. those vehicles.
The French president, also in Munich, defended the “intensification of support” to Ukraine for a counter-offensive that “could lead to credible negotiations”. Emmanuel Macron also said it is time to “prepare terms of peace”, although he acknowledged that “the time is not for dialogue” with Russia.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, meanwhile, proposed that the EU contribute to a €4 billion fund for the purchase of one million projectiles. The proposal will be analyzed by foreign ministers of the 27 on Monday. Estonia estimates that Ukraine’s armed forces fire up to 7,000 artillery shells per day, while the European defense industry produces up to 25,000 shells per month.
Source: DN
