The 60th Munich Conference: Ukraine is in the centre of attention and support

Leaders of states and governments, parliamentarians, as well as dozens of ministers of defence and foreign affairs and heads of international organisations began to arrive in Munich. In other words, decision-makers. As well as scientists, experts, civil society representatives and business leaders, not to mention journalists, Ukrinform reports.

It is clear that the war in the centre of Europe, in Ukraine, which has become a headache for the entire planet, remains one of the key issues. The topic will be discussed not only on the main stage, but also at various discussion platforms on the sidelines of the forum.

Ukraine, according to its Ambassador to Germany, Oleksiy Makeyev, is planning an eventful programme for its delegation, including bilateral meetings between Ukrainian officials. It is possible that politicians and diplomats will meet with representatives of German arms companies, as they did at the previous conference.

There will also be a traditional Ukrainian lunch organised by the Yalta European Strategy (YES).

According to Goisgen, the message of the conference should be a reaffirmation of support for Ukraine.

The idea behind the conference was to prevent a new great war and help resolve regional conflicts. More than 60 years have passed, and the security situation has not only not improved, it is such that the threat of World War III no longer seems to be something completely unrealistic.

And this war can be unleashed in the 21st century by a state that has been proud for decades of having defeated fascism and seemingly ended the bloodiest war of the 20th century entirely on its own. A state that is desperately trying to become an empire and "adapting" history to its desires.

Not all the guests of the Munich Security Conference in 2007 heard Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech as actually declaring a new war on the West. At that time, it was still a "cold war". For some, the Kremlin leader's words even made them smile. But Putin was not joking at all.

This year's conference is being held for the second time without the participation of official Russia: neither Putin nor other official representatives of the state that has been waging war against Ukraine for almost 10 years and open aggression for 2 years are invited. Just like last year. However, there will be several representatives of civil society, the opposition, and those living abroad.

The full list of participants is usually not announced in advance. Life is such that plans can change almost every day. But some of the guests were named by the chairman of the Conference, Christoph Goisgen.

However, he noted that he had sent an invitation to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and did not rule out that he would come.

In a time of war, visits by the head of state and other leaders are usually are usually not announced for obvious reasons. However, Zelenskyy's participation is already known. (German media have also reported that the Ukrainian leader will stop in Berlin before Munich.)

We can also talk about the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (there was no shortage of tensions there), and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be there with a number of his key ministers.

The highest-ranking US official will be Vice President Kamala Harris, and the United States will be represented by State Department Secretary Anthony Blinken and, traditionally, a huge congressional delegation from both parties (who will obviously be persuaded by many to finally pass the long-suffering aid package for Ukraine).

China is sending its chief of diplomacy, Wang Yi.

As always, the leaders of the European Union, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and a number of heads of international organisations will be present.

A separate reason to be proud is the presence of eight Nobel laureates.

Several heads of state and government are expected, more than a quarter of whom are representatives of the Global South, a region that has recently attracted increasing attention and has become a hotly contested area.

The organisers have invited representatives of Middle Eastern states, including Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and the conference will be opened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who, like the entire UN, has been the subject of harsh criticism from Tel Aviv over its position in the Israeli-Palestinian war.

The icing on the cake and innovation was the performance of a musical group before the start of the forum, and not just any group, but one featuring Palestinian musicians, according to the chairman of the conference, Christoph Goisgen, "as a sign against violence and for reconciliation."