How stable is Europe’s security, how effective is its deterrence still? These questions have aroused and been vividly discussed after Putin’s attack on Ukraine and throughout this ongoing war. But those questions have once again peaked after former US President Donald Trump said he would encourage Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to any NATO country that doesn’t pay enough.
These incendiary NATO remarks send very real shudders through Europe. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says Trump’s comments endanger US and European troops. Europe’s leading politicians and security policy experts are challenged to find strong answers at this year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC) taking place from February 16 to 18, 2024.
BR24 is broadcasting the entire conference live – embedded in this article.
Hier finden Sie unsere Live-Berichterstattung von der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz auf Deutsch.
This year's Security Conference is overshadowed by the news of Alexej Nawalnys alleged death. The prison administration announced on Friday that the most famous critic of the Kremlin and of Wladimir Putin died in a penal colony in Russias polar region. Nawalnys wife Julija Nawalnaja came to the stage of the MSC for a spontaneous and emotional statement on Friday. If the news of his death is true, she wanted to tell that Putin and the Russian regime will be punished "for what they did to our country, for what they did to my family, for what they did to my husband", she said.
Main Subjects: Russia’s war against Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas-Conflict
Christoph Heusgen, Chairman of the MSC, is expecting this year’s conference to provide a new impetus to Ukraine’s support for the war against Russia: "We are not tired." Putin’s calculus that the western countries will slowly but surely decrease their support shall not add up according to Heusgen.
Russia’s war against Ukraine will be one of the two main subjects at the MSC this year, the Israel-Hamas-War will be the other. A performance by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra lead by conductor Daniel Barenboim shall therefor be a sign of reconciliation, said Heusgen.
180 leading politicians, heads of states and governments, and experts will be in Munich these three days – among others: President of Ukraine Wolodymyr Selenskyj, US Vice President Kamala Harris, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Germany’s Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, China’s Top Diplomat Wang Yi, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
MSC: 60 Years of High-Level Debates on Security Policy
Additionally, the MSC, founded in the fall of 1963, will celebrate its 60th anniversary during the next main conference. According to the MSC guidelines the entire event and all its many components were governed by the Munich Rule: Engage and interact with each other; don't lecture or ignore one another.
Video: Watch the speeches and debates of day one of the MSC (16.2.2024)
Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz