The security conference, the largest security policy meeting in the world, starts this Friday in Munich, and it is all about the Russian war against Ukraine. What can come of it? Will there be more military aid to Kiev? So far, one thing is certain: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, who personally traveled to Munich in 2022, will open the meeting of government representatives and experts from almost 100 countries with a video speech at noon. Afterwards, Ukraine's two most important allies in the EU will speak with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. They are not the only celebrities performing in Munich. Here is an overview of the guests, the invited and the hopes:
Who is there in Munich
A total of 40 heads of state and government and almost 100 ministers are expected at the world's most important meeting of politicians and experts on the subject of security policy. The US delegation, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, is larger than ever with around 60 senators and members of the House of Representatives. But the boss himself is not there. US President Joe Biden, who has been in Munich very often in other functions in recent decades, will only come to Europe next week for a visit to Poland. Many other NATO countries are also prominently represented. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also coming to Munich, as are Poland's heads of state and government: President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. But the security conference is not just a western class reunion either. The appearance of a guest from the Far East is awaited with particularly great excitement: the top Chinese foreign politician, Wang Yi, will be speaking in Munich on Saturday.
Who is not allowed to be there
The Russian leadership is not invited for the first time since the 1990s. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has long been one of the regular guests. He was also invited last year, when 150,000 Russian soldiers had already deployed in the border area with Ukraine. Lavrov then canceled himself. Four days after the conference, the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. This time Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's government is excluded from the outset. "It's too bad for us to offer these war criminals in the Kremlin a stage for their propaganda at the Munich Security Conference," explains conference leader Christoph Heusgen - Chancellor Angela Merkel's former foreign policy adviser.
Heusgen didn't want Iran to be there either. "We also don't want to offer a forum to a regime that so fundamentally violates basic human rights," he says. Heusgen deviates from the idea of his predecessors that Munich should offer a forum for dialogue even in extremely difficult times - also domestically. For the first time, not all parties represented in the Bundestag are invited to Munich. The AfD must stay outside.
What to expect in Ukraine
What is certain is that western Ukraine will again demonstratively back its fight against the Russian attackers. It will be about what further military support can look like. Who is ready to support Scholz's tank alliance? Should fighter jets, warships and submarines also be supplied? Are there red lines? And if so: which ones?
Another topic is: What chance does diplomacy currently have? So far, there are hardly any ideas for this. Ukraine sees the withdrawal of Russian troops as a prerequisite for negotiations. She is also referring to Crimea, which Russia took over in 2014. The West does not want to act over the heads of the Ukrainians. This limits the scope - especially since Moscow insists that Kiev accept all Russian demands without conditions. Ideas like that of Brazilian President Lula to set up a "peace club" to mediate are not taken seriously by most.
What is on the sidelines of the official program
The security conference in the Hotel "Bayerischer Hof" is above all a huge contact exchange. What is discussed in the corridors, in the salons and back rooms of the luxury hotel is often more important than what is happening on the open stage.
Chancellor Scholz uses his stay in Munich, for example, for a whole series of talks on the sidelines of the conference. With French President Emmanuel Macron and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic he wants to talk about the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo, with Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda to revive the so-called "Weimar Triangle" - a discussion format that has existed between the three countries for more than 30 years . Scholz is also meeting with US Vice President Harris and Wang Yi this Friday. One of the most exciting questions ahead of this conference is whether the Chinese Politburo member and Harris or US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet later. There is massive tension between China and the US over the launch of a Chinese balloon that was spotted over US territory.
Which doesn't become an issue
The federal government once considered presenting a new national security strategy in Munich. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from the Greens and Scholz have not been able to reach an agreement so far. So the topic falls flat. Efforts to break the blockade on NATO's northern expansion to include Finland and Sweden must also take place elsewhere: Turkey will not be represented by government figures due to the devastating earthquake.
