Zelensky at the Munich Conference compared Ukraine to David, and Russia to Goliath. Macron said that the Russian Federation “is not a country, but a mafia.”
On February 17, the Munich Security Conference began in Germany. This year the main topic of the meeting was the war between Russia and Ukraine. Therefore, our President Volodymyr Zelensky was one of the first to speak at the conference. He compared Ukraine to David, and Russia to Goliath. And he said that the latter “will certainly fall this year, but for this the world must unite.”
It should be noted that for the first time in many years, Russia was not present at the Munich Conference, and “this is a good result of the year,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
“we need speed”
The panel with Zelensky’s speech in Munich was called “David on the Dnieper”. The President of Ukraine noted that, in his opinion, the title of the panel does not do justice to the scale of what is happening. According to him, not only Ukraine, but the whole of Europe is at risk, and the Thames and the Spree can also become substitutes for the Dnieper.
“Being David means fighting. And we are fighting. Being David means having a sling to win. We don’t have a David Sling from Israel yet. But I believe it’s only temporary,” the president said.
“Goliath has no chance. But unfortunately he has potential… He is trying to buy more time for his aggression by trading with the world… So we need to hurry. We need speed,” he added.
Zelensky also assured that there is no alternative to Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO.
“Is it time for Ukraine to become a full part of the European Union? For most Europeans, this is no longer a question. We have received the status of a candidate country. We are preparing to start membership negotiations ,” the president said.
He reminded that Ukraine is already connected to Europe through economy, logistics and energy. Zelensky also urged not to believe the propagandists, because today Russia is not such a strong state as it was on February 24, 2022.
“Now there are more of us, and we are definitely stronger. I’m sure Russia was stronger then, but now it’s not that strong and they don’t have as many forces. For me, this is our advantage. So, don’t believe that those propagandists believe in what is on the battlefield,” said Zelensky.
“Irritated” Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who took the floor shortly after the President of Ukraine, said that we need to prepare for a long war, but did not answer a question from the presenter Christiane Amanpour: “How much how long is this?”
He also called on international partners who have Western-style battle tanks to immediately send them to Kyiv.
“All those who can send battle tanks of this type should do so. Defense Minister Pistorius, Foreign Minister Burbock and I are personally urging it. Germany will do everything in its power to make the this decision for partners. For example, by teaching Ukrainian soldiers how to drive tanks here in Germany, or by providing support in terms of supplies and logistics,” said the German chancellor.
At the same time, Scholz continues to maintain a “balance between the maximum possible support for Ukraine and the prevention of unwanted escalation.”
He also reacted somewhat irritated to the presenter’s question about the possible supply of fighter jets for Ukraine.
“You are asking me about a matter not currently under consideration,” replied the Chancellor.
“Not a country, but a mafia”
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a speech in Munich, accused Vladimir Putin of telling him last year that PMC Wagner had nothing to do with Russia.
“I spoke with Putin a year ago and he assured me that Russia has nothing to do with the Wagner group,” he told an audience at a security conference.
The French leader noted that at the time he believed Putin’s words, but now he understands that Russia is “not a country, but a mafia.”
“I accept it. Now we see that the Wagner group is involved in Russia’s war against Ukraine. This means that Russia is an ordinary mafia state,” he said.
Macron also pushed for reform of the UN Security Council and several other organizations.
“Yes, I think we need to reform our world order. It’s very urgent, we need to balance the global order and make it more inclusive,” Macron said, answering questions after the speech.
He admitted that he was “very impressed by how much we are losing the confidence of the global South.”
In this regard, a conference will be held in Paris this summer to discuss the reform of the IMF and other bodies. And the UN Security Council must certainly be part of the change.
“Let’s be honest: a permanent member (Russia – ed.) has chosen to violate the rules it should uphold. Therefore, we must reform it and change it,” concluded Macron.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.