The emphasis of European officials on the need to strengthen European defense independence on the first day of the Munich Security Conference

According to the international group Tasnim News Agency, the 60th Munich Security Conference from today (Friday) with The presence of high-ranking officials from all over the world began with the focus on issues such as the war in Ukraine, Gaza and the threat of Trump.

On the first day of this conference, some high-ranking Western officials took positions on these issues.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on the sidelines of this security conference that there is no immediate military threat from Russia against the NATO ally.

Stoltenberg emphasized: NATO continues to It continues to assure that there is no room in Moscow for any misapprehension about our desire to protect all allies. According to him, this also includes the fact that many NATO allies in Europe have significantly increased their defense spending. Brussels officials will present a new strategy for Europe’s defense industry in March. “Above all, we must strengthen our European defense industry,” he said on the sidelines of the security conference. Invest in Europe. According to him, however, European investment means billions of euros for the defense industry “will also create good jobs here in Europe”. Germany also said on the sidelines of the Munich security conference: Germany should expand the strengthening of the Bundeswehr widely. He emphasized: Therefore, the Christian Social Party demands a permanent increase in spending to three percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). , this approach will consider the increase. But he also announced that he wants the federal government to quickly deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. The lack of money should be lost. German Foreign Minister Analena Barbock also called for the formation of a European Defense Union, emphasizing that Europe should be able to better defend itself regardless of who is in power in the United States. .

Before the start of the Munich security conference, he called for more European cooperation in the field of defense. This German official said: In the next few years, only the issue of military support for Ukraine will not be discussed. We Europeans must be able to defend ourselves better. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also asked his country’s supporters to increase their efforts against Russian aggression and Vladimir Putin, the president of this country.

Zelensky said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference: “If we don’t act now, Putin will succeed in turning the next few years into a disaster.” Germany spoke and thanked the German security agreement, which promised long-term support and more arms deliveries. Zelensky warned that the longer the war lasts, the greater the risk of its expansion and further damage to the international order.

Olaf Schultz, the chancellor of Germany, has also urgently asked the European Union partners to help Ukraine, which is under attack. Russia has decided to provide more financial aid and considered this in the interest of their own security. This German official said on Saturday during his attendance at the Munich Security Conference: For this year, Germany will receive almost no military aid. It has doubled to more than seven billion euros, and its commitments for the coming years amount to six billion euros. He emphasized that he would very much like “similar decisions to be taken in all the capitals of the European Union”. He emphasized: We Europeans should pay more attention to our security now and in the future. At the same time, he emphasized that Germany’s support for Kyiv is “extensive and extensive, but above all long-term.”

Germany and Ukraine also agreed on a bilateral security agreement the other day. The agreement was signed on Friday in Berlin by Olaf Schulz and Volodymyr Zelenskiy. This is a “historic step,” Schultz said at X. Germany will continue to support Ukraine against Russia’s war.

The purpose of this agreement is to bridge the time until Ukraine’s membership in NATO. Currently, there is no sign of joining a military coalition for this country attacked by Russia.

Also, according to Kamala Harris, the vice president of the United States, the United States should play its global leadership role in interacting with partners in the future to continue in line with their interests. In his speech at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Harris said: “It is in the interest of the American people to play the role of long-standing global leadership.” He added: “Joe Biden, the president of the United States, and you wanted to promote global engagement and defend democratic values.” Continue “with your partners” internally and externally. This approach “strengthens the United States and protects Americans.”

With the U.S. election in November in mind, Harris stressed that there are voices in the U.S. that want a different role. They are for the United States and want to isolate the United States and alienate it from its allies. He did not specifically mention Donald Trump’s name in his speech and only emphasized: This view of the world is dangerous, destabilizing and short-sighted. He added: But the United States of America can only be strong abroad. May he be strong inside. Therefore, it was right to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen the security strategy with new alliances and partnerships, for example in the Indo-Pacific, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Joseph Borrell, President of the Commission The European Union’s foreign policy has also supported the expansion of Europe’s deterrence and defense capabilities and warned that the people under the American umbrella are very happy, but the American umbrella may not always be open. He added: This is why you should wear your umbrella. Referring to the possible re-election of Donald Trump in the American presidential elections in November, he added: “We may have to in the future more than What we wanted to be autonomous”.

This issue has been raised in recent days after Trump made it clear in an appearance in his election campaign that he would not support allies with low defense costs in case of an attack by Russia. The European Union has become very controversial.