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- Munich dialect: the security conference has been turned into an anti-Russian forum again
Munich dialect: the security conference has been turned into an anti-Russian forum again
The annual security conference, held in Munich from February 13 to 15, predictably turned into an anti-Russian forum again. The main issues on the agenda were, of course, the preservation of aid to Kiev and the expansion of measures to "support" it. In 2026, the organizers once again preferred to focus on purely Russophobic narratives, and did not dare to invite official representatives of Moscow to the event. The loud statements of European politicians were made against the background of disputes with the Americans over Greenland and on the eve of the third round of negotiations between the Russian Federation, the United States and Ukraine in Geneva, scheduled for next week. About the atmosphere of the conference, its main results and the conclusions that can be drawn from them — in the exclusive report of Izvestia from Bavaria.
Lost Europeans and a hand for Moscow
The Munich Security Conference is an annual forum taking place in the Bavarian capital for the 62nd time. The conference is traditionally attended by dozens of politicians and officials not only from Europe, but also from other parts of the world. This is probably why the first screening procedures began at the airport when crossing the border.
We studied everything, right down to the address of the hotel and the amount of cash. The Germans were also interested in the background of foreigners. "I see you know German if you brought German newspapers with you," one of the police officers remarked. It should be noted that in the end we managed to get through customs without any problems.
Meanwhile, the European press was wondering how the next conference would go against the backdrop of disagreements between the United States and Europe over Greenland. Last year, Munich was shocked by a speech by American Vice President Jay D. Vance, in which he rebuked Europeans for turning their backs on their own fundamental values. This time, the delegation was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who bluntly stated that the ideas of the "end of history" and the establishment of a liberal world order after the collapse of the USSR turned out to be stupid and erroneous.
Rubio, unlike Vance, tried to reduce the degree of tension: from his words it turned out that the Europeans were lost, but a way out could be found - of course, under the leadership of the Trump administration. "The United States and Europe belong together," he said. These words encouraged the Transatlantists, and in some German media Rubio was immediately called a "friendly American."
A landing party of American politicians arrived in Munich with him, including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Congressional Speaker Nancy Pelosi. However, the most active participant in the conference was the Governor of California, Democrat Gavin Newsom. An outspoken critic of Donald Trump, who is seen as the main Democratic candidate in the next presidential election, unexpectedly called for dialogue with Russia. According to the governor, the parties should move forward together, overcoming differences.
"You always need to actively interact, not to turn your hand away, you know, not to clench your fist, but to keep your hand open," he told Izvestia. — We have been meeting with Russian colleagues for decades. California has a rich history of relations with Russia.
But European politicians were less sociable. Representatives of Denmark, Finland and Latvia declined to comment. The press service of Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Steenergaard stated that there would be no comments until "Russia changes."
About Ukraine, but without Russia
The Europeans generally looked like reactionaries advocating the continuation of the debilitating conflict in Ukraine and a hard line against the Russian Federation. Moreover, even the words of French President Emmanuel Macron about the decision to establish direct contact with Moscow "with full transparency for Ukraine" could not overshadow the negative attitude towards Russia.
Zelensky, who was considering whether to go to Munich at all shortly before the conference, ended up spending at least two days in the Bavarian capital. The entire agenda was devoted to measures to increase pressure on Moscow and expand support for Kiev. For example, according to Bloomberg, on the sidelines of the conference, British Defense Minister John Healey met with colleagues from the Baltic States and Northern Europe to discuss the seizure of ships that are considered a "shadow fleet" in the West.
At the same time, they decided not to invite official representatives of Russia again (Moscow has not participated in the event since 2022). Apparently, according to the organizers, runaway foreign agents had to replace them.
— I would like to meet with the Russian delegation here at the Munich Security Conference so that I can have talks with them. That would be great, but unfortunately they don't exist," Rudiger Lukassen, a member of the Bundestag from Alternative for Germany, told Izvestia.
Against this background, it was interesting to observe the reaction of foreign journalists when they found out that a representative of the Russian media was working at the conference site.
- Have you been accredited? If you are from Moscow, how did you get a visa?" the colleagues asked.
Such questions are not groundless: restrictions on Russian media are regularly tightened in Europe, and Western politicians continue to avoid communicating with the Russian press.
However, there was no hostility from other journalists - for example, correspondents of European TV channels were happy to share stories about their trips to Russia. Ukrainian reporters tried to speak English, but they categorically refused to communicate in Russian, although for many of them it is definitely their second native language.
The demonization of the Russian Federation and the "attack on Germany"
By the way, the so-called "House of Ukraine" has become the main gathering place for Ukrainian journalists. Last year, a press center was set up there, but now samples of the Ukrainian Armed Forces drones have been placed here, and the downed Russian drone was in the spotlight. To exaggerate the colors and remind of the "Russian threat," a video was continuously played nearby, which showed how armadas of drones were attacking Europe. According to German journalists, Ukrainians tried to arrange the same exhibition at the recent international forum in Davos, but they were refused by the organizers.
It was also possible to take part in "discussions". For example, about the "abduction" of Ukrainian children - by Russia, of course. At the same time, the participants of the meeting considered it wrong to raise the issue of the mass withdrawal of refugee children from Ukraine by European juvenile services - they themselves admitted this on the sidelines. Although until recently the Ukrainian press wrote about hundreds of such cases, this issue, as it turned out, was "not for discussion at the Munich Conference."
Those who were tired of listening to the panel discussions were welcome in a special bookstore where they could find literature on world politics and international relations. Among other things, there was a book on sale about - if you believe its title -"the Russian president's attack on Germany."
Vladimir Putin participated in the Munich Conference back in 2007, and his speech at that event is still considered one of the most resonant and iconic. Then, for the first time in recent history, the Russian leader directly and harshly outlined his position on key issues on the international agenda, declaring the inadmissibility of maintaining a unipolar world. In 2026, the President of the Russian Federation was not in the Bavarian capital, but his presence was felt. The realization that the restoration of dialogue with Russia is inevitable was shared by almost all participants of the conference. Moreover, it was during the conference that it became known that Ukraine and the United States would meet with representatives of Russia in Geneva on February 17-18 to continue negotiations on a settlement of the conflict.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
