cities Munich and Donetsk They’re parallel to the planet, and the more than 2,000 kilometers of road separating them isn’t enough to make the Security Conference held in the Bavarian capital this weekend echo the echo of the Russian offensive.
Moscow stepped up its new move against Ukraine; it was before the spring and the Munich forum, the date when a new attack was expected. Alarm sounds from Úrsula Von der Leyen and Josep Borrellfound that all rush is minimal.
It was the main conclusion of the summit that it was urgent to equip Kiev with new and more powerful stockpiles of weapons. And linked to that: another belated confirmation of the ammunition shortages suffered by European gunpowder magazines. Therefore, alongside the President of the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, they encouraged the French to make large and open investments in weapons. Emmanuel Macron and his neighbor Olaf Schölz.
words and actions
German Chancellor and Minister of Defense, Boris PistoriusThey spoke with those gathered in Munich about whether this would be more laziness than common sense, as suspicions grew in their country, even from the Social Democrats. Silence of Leopard tank-owning allies. Spain, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands (they will own the cars if they buy them)… They were the first to push Germany to allow exports and now they’re too late to make a statement. exactly how many can you afford to send in front.
Thus, among other reasons, Borrell was so persistent in asking and exclaiming that “word to action”: “Zelensky has too much applause and too little ammo (…) We must do more and faster, we must accelerate our military aid to Ukraine”, ahead of a forum where European leaders reiterated that Russia cannot win the war.
In any case, a special proposal proposed by Von der Leyen and brought up by the Estonian Prime Minister – one of the leading figures of the meeting – leaves Munich. kaja callas: joint purchase of ammunition This is already a European agreement.
It is not just a matter of coordinating the supply to Kiev, but also of confronting the price increases that Israeli and American suppliers give to their artillery, especially large-caliber ammunition. As this newspaper previously reported, each armor-piercing projectile from Leopard cost three thousand euros, and in a day of war in Ukraine a car could fire 40.
condemning russia
The conference began and ended with the condemnation of Russia, which was declared a war criminal by the accusing finger of US Vice President Kamala Harris. The report, originally downloaded by participants, estimated 60,366 war crimes committed by Moscow troops this year of the war.
The participants of this forum discussed how much concessions they would make to Russia for peace as they conspired to one day bring Putin before an international tribunal—without anything binding. And right now, there is another consensus that nothing is happening. German Foreign Minister, Annalena baerbocksummed it up by assuring that ceding the territories to Russia “is not an option”. Neither the regions nor, of course, the people who live in them.
In a late night conversation, such a Russian figure Gary Kasparov, speaking of the Russia of the future, pointed to the extreme that no one in Europe fully considered: for their country to change, they must lose the war; And There will be no real Russian defeat until Ukraine recaptures Crimea..
not trusting china
The Conference has not been merely a forum for the ratification of the Convention. Moscow and the new glaciation of the West, already in June at the Madrid Strategic Concept, left NATO black on white. This conference was also an opportunity to avoid further widening the gaps between the United States and China.
On Saturday night, U.S. State Department officials told their boss, anthony flashingHe had met with the head of Chinese diplomacy, wang yiHope grew that the spiral of conflict between Washington and Beijing was not unstoppable, with many analysts and foreign ministers wondering only when, not if it would happen, which they saw as inevitable.
It was a startling contact, after Yi had spoken so harshly just hours earlier, accusing the United States of going into hysteria over the spy bubble. The same officials who confirmed that the meeting on the sidelines of the summit instilled more optimism by reassuring: travel plans resumed Blinken to China.
The next morning, this Sunday, anticipation took on another color: Secretary of State Blinken expressed North America’s skepticism for the first time. China can supply arms to Russia. Whether this bad omen turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Russia added a return to nuclear propaganda to the summit’s news agenda. Official media are speculating once again that Kiev is preparing a “provocation” with Russia. radioactive material. This time, says the West-provided Tass agency.