In Munich, Europeans grasped the urgency of defending themselves against the Russian threat

Is it the tragic death of Alexei Navalny? On the eve of the second anniversary of the invasion, the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the small town of Avdivka in the face of the Russian invader? Ukrainian leaders call for help over ammunition shortage? Or a reaction from the doubts sown by Donald Trump about the solidity of the Atlantic Alliance? Perhaps it is all at once: a strong sense of urgency about the need to defend Europe seized the participants in the 60s.^E The Munich Security Conference, which takes place from Friday 16 February to Sunday 18 February.

On Saturday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky clearly sounded the alarm, saying he was convinced that “Putin May Lose” But on condition that the Westerners accelerate and intensify their delivery of military equipment. “Depriving Ukraine of artificial weapons, particularly warheads and long-range strike systems, allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war”Mr. Zelensky declared, before addressing his audience with a line that earned him loud applause: Don’t ask Ukraine when the war will end. But ask yourself why Putin is still able to pursue it. »

A day earlier, the seriousness was heightened in Berlin and Paris, where the Ukrainian president went to sign bilateral security agreements with Germany and France. Obviously, in these two European capitals, it is no longer just a question of helping Ukraine, but of better securing Europe: a two-year-long discourse between Ukraine’s European neighbors – led by Poland and the Baltic states – but Western European leaders have so far have been less sensitive.

“The Russian threat is real”

In Paris, on Friday evening, Emmanuel Macron had harsher words than before on the state of the Russian threat: “Two years ago, the Kremlin regime attacked the European country of Ukraine. He has intensified and hardened his attacks against our country in terms of disinformation and cyber level. (…) Vladimir Putin’s Russia has become a systematic actor in world instability »French president worried, for whom “There is clearly a need for a European initiative, and more broadly from our allies, our partners and the international community.”

On Saturday morning, in Munich, Olaf Scholz, who devoted his entire speech to the war in Ukraine, sent the same message. “The Russian threat is real. That is why our deterrence and defense capabilities must be credible and remain so.The German Chancellor declared. Putin and his generals in Moscow must understand that we, the most powerful military alliance in the world, can defend every square meter of our territory; So we must strengthen NATO’s European pillar, including in terms of deterrence. »

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