Zelensky urges world leaders “to hurry up” at Munich Conference

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with world leaders - including Germany - to speed up support at the opening of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, as European allies renewed vows to back Kyiv ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion.

Published: 17 February 2023 17:09 CET

Zelensky urges world leaders “to hurry up

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the 2023 Munich Security Conference by video link. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Felix Hörhager

Ukraine’s western backers – including Germany – have delivered an array of weaponry to Ukraine since the outbreak of the war and pledged more, but Kyiv fears crucial supplies will arrive too slowly to defend against major new offensives.

“We need to hurry up,” Zelensky told the start of the annual three-day gathering via video link. “We need speed – speed of our agreements, speed of our delivery… speed of decisions to limit Russian potential”.

There is no “alternative”, as people’s lives were on the line, he said.

The key annual conference comes just days ahead of the February 24th anniversary of Moscow sending its forces into Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US Vice President Kamala Harris and a host of other world leaders are in attendance.

Russian delegates including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was a regular attendee at Munich in the past, have not been invited.

Zelensky also insisted that there was “no alternative” to Ukraine triumphing in its fight against President Vladimir Putin’s troops, and no choice but for Kyiv to eventually join both the EU and NATO.

Scholz meanwhile insisted that German support was “designed to last”, but took a veiled swipe at other allies over faltering efforts to deliver promised tanks to Ukraine.

Facing desperate pleas from Kyiv, Berlin finally agreed in January to allow German-made, heavy Leopard tanks — widely used in Europe — to be sent to Ukraine.

Berlin has vowed to send some of the most modern variety from its military stocks but is struggling to persuade some allies to do the same.

“Those who can send such battle tanks should really do so now,” Scholz told the conference, where he said he would be “intensively campaigning” to get allies to move on the issue.

It marks a reversal of fortune for Scholz, who up until last month was facing accusations of foot-dragging over his reluctance to permit delivery of the tanks.

Under German law, Berlin must give permission for other countries that use the tanks to re-export them.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is in Munich, and is expected to join a meeting of foreign ministers from the G7 club of rich countries on Saturday, on the sidelines of the conference.

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Kyiv had the “right under international law to defend itself” against attacks coming from inside Russia, close to the border with Ukraine, Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.

Russian attacks from its own territory had increased in recent weeks, in particular around the northeastern city of Kharkiv, where Moscow’s forces have opened a new front in the war, Hebestreit said.

Germany and other Western allies supporting Ukraine’s defence were “convinced that Ukraine has the right… to defend itself against these attacks”, Hebestreit said.

“To this end, it can also use the weapons supplied for this purpose… including those supplied by us.”

Germany, Kyiv’s biggest military backer behind only the United States, has delivered stacks of military equipment to Ukraine, including heavy artillery and rocket launchers.

Berlin has up until now been reluctant to allow Ukraine to use German weapons to strike Russian targets for fear of escalating the conflict.

But with Ukrainian forces coming under increased pressure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with Western allies for more weapons and a freer hand in deploying those already delivered.

The issue was on the agenda as French President Emmanuel Macron visited Germany earlier in the week.

Kyiv should be allowed to “neutralise” Russian military bases used to fire missiles into Ukraine, Macron said Tuesday in a press conference with Scholz.

Subsequently, officials in Washington indicated on Thursday that President Joe Biden had lifted restrictions on US-supplied weapons to allow Kyiv to hit targets in Russia in defence of the Kharkiv region.