VMany appeals, no silver lining: For Kiev, there were no results on the second day of the Munich Security Conference that could offer the prospect of any noticeable relief for the Ukrainian armed forces under pressure at the front. There was no indication from the American delegation that the American House of Representatives could soon approve the necessary American aid package worth 60 billion dollars (around 55.7 billion euros).
On Saturday afternoon, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg renewed his appeals to the Americans to quickly resolve the blockade in Congress. Helping Ukraine also makes the United States stronger. The aid package is not just “an investment in your own security”. It also creates jobs in America and sends a signal to China.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said on Saturday in Munich that it was in the American interest to pass the package. It is about showing “unity” not only towards Russia, but also towards other autocratic systems.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that after talks with American politicians he was “cautiously optimistic” that “this problem” would be resolved in the American Congress. With regard to the EU, he said that it was no use “complaining” about the former and possibly next American President Donald Trump. That is a decision of the United States. “We have to do our homework – one way or another.”
Stoltenberg doesn’t want to talk about European bombs
On Saturday, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg also devoted himself to the debate about a European atomic bomb and the defense of the alliance’s eastern flank. He warned against even having a nuclear debate. “NATO has a long-established nuclear deterrent that has worked for decades,” he said. The debate was triggered by statements by the prospective Republican presidential candidate in the United States, Donald Trump.
The idea of building parallel capabilities to existing American, French and British nuclear weapons is “not helpful,” Stoltenberg said. Questioning NATO’s existing deterrence would only undermine it.
With a view to the situation on the eastern flank, Stoltenberg told the FAZ that there were no indications of an imminent military threat to a NATO member from Russia. This can only change if doubts are raised about the credibility of the alliance commitment. Then, says Stoltenberg, “room for miscalculations” could arise.
In Munich, Commission President von der Leyen called for the EU to do more in defense production; capacities would have to be increased. That is why the EU Commission will present an armaments strategy in about three weeks. Firstly, according to von der Leyen, the EU must spend more money on armaments. Secondly, more joint procurement is needed and the funds should be used better. Framework agreements with industry are also possible to create reliability.
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