Germany has been criticised for not supporting Ukraine with weapons and other defence equipment, amid fresh fears of a Russian invasion.
At the Munich Security Conference on Friday, US secretary of state Anthony Blinken praised Berlin as Washington’s “partner of first resort on anything” and said solidarity at Nato and EU level was the “single greatest source of strength we have”.
But a heated intervention on Friday from Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko pointed out how the US provided his country with arms worth $650 million in the last year, and more through third countries, while Germany has offered 5,000 helmets.
“We are facing one of the strongest enemies in the world,” said Mr Klitschko, a professional boxer turned politician. “We are ready to fight, ready to defend our families, our state, our cities, our citizens. Thank you for 5,000 helmets but it is not enough. We cannot defend our country with that.”
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said that, given its burdened history in the region, Berlin was “doing everything for dialogue” – but indicated that this might change.
“We believe that, at this moment, this is not the moment to change our course by 180 degrees,” she said, adding that Berlin was the largest bilateral donor to Ukraine in recent years, with about €1.83 billion since 2014.
“We have to ensure that destabilisation doesn’t come from investments not coming any more or the currency going down. That is why I truly believe that financial support is as important with regards to security.”
‘False provocations’
She insisted the growing conflict in eastern Europe as “not a Ukraine crisis but a Russian crisis” and that Berlin was ready to “pay a high economic cost” to back sanctions against Russia.
“For me and for us all options are on the table, including Nord Stream 2,” she said, referring to an undersea gas pipeline carrying Russian gas to Germany that is completed but awaiting a permit.
Mr Blinken said the US remained committed to diplomacy but was “deeply concerned” that Russia was already on another path where “part of a scenario is already in play of creating false provocations”.
Mr Blinken has agreed to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, next week for talks – provided there is no invasion. The latter’s absence from Munich, for the first time in 20 years, added to fears of a looming war.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy will address delegates on Saturday afternoon, along with chancellor Olaf Scholz, US vice-president Kamala Harris and UK and Polish prime ministers Boris Johnson and Mateusz Morawiecki.
Other security challenges remain on the Munich agenda: climate justice and the pandemic fallout to the Middle East and talks over Iran’s nuclear capability.
Days after visiting Tehran, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney is attending this year’s conference and participating in a panel discussion on Saturday afternoon with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
Humanitarian challenges
Geneva talks with Iran are now in their eighth round, with hopes growing that Munich contacts, in panel discussions and on the sidelines, can nudge talks to a breakthrough.
Mr Coveney will participate, too, in a roundtable with Ethiopian counterpart Demeke Mekonnen on the humanitarian challenges facing the Horn of Africa.
Last November, Ethiopia ordered four of Ireland’s six diplomats to leave Addis Ababa in protest at Ireland’s outspoken stance on the country’s ongoing conflict.
Irish officials insist all statements made, at the UN Security Council and elsewhere, were in line with international humanitarian norms. With the situation on the ground improving, Munich talks offer an opportunity to discuss restoring Ireland’s original diplomatic presence.
This year’s gathering of politicians and business leaders comes amid allegations that Wolfgang Ischinger, conference president since 2008, has sold Munich access for personal gain.
According to Der Spiegel magazine, Agora, a consulting firm founded by Dr Ischinger in 2015, last year offered a German arms company access to key Munich Security Conference participants from “target regions” in the Middle East.
As well as a monthly fee of nearly €28,000, Agora demanded a commission of up to 1.6 per cent of any orders concluded. Dr Ischinger said he had “no operative control” over daily business at Agora, which declined to comment on the claims.
