MSC 2025: Scholz rejects far right, upholds Ukraine support – DW (English)
Source: DW (English)
European and US leaders have diverged on how to deal with Russia’s war on Ukraine during the Munich Security Conference. German Chancellor Scholz, along with others, has been critical of US comments. DW has more.
Follow below for the latest developments and DW coverage of the news from the Munich Security Conference being held from February 14 to 16:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he told his ministers not to sign a proposed agreement that would have enabled the US to access rare earth minerals from Ukraine that are used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries.
“I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Zelenskyy told The Associated Press on Saturday in Munich.
The proposal was one focus of Zelenskyy’s talks with US Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the conference on Friday.
Ukrainian sources said the proposed deal envisioned the US accessing Ukraine’s rare earth minerals to compensate Washington for previous, current and future aid to Kyiv.
White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement that “President
Zelenskyy is being short-sighted about the excellent opportunity the Trump Administration has presented to Ukraine.”
The statement added that Washington believes that “binding economic ties with the United States will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace.”
Saturday, the second day of the conference, was marked by reactions to the divisive speech given by US Vice President JD Vance and attempts to show European unity in backing Ukraine.
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This year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC) has already seen two eventful days, with clear rifts appearing between the US and its European partners, especially over the question of how to end the war in Ukraine.
Sunday is the last day of the conference, with several events running until the early afternoon. We will keep you up-to-date with the major headlines and reactions.
We’re pausing our live coverage; thanks for following along. We will have further coverage of the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, the final day of the event.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha discussed a potential peace plan with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday.
Ukrainian presidential advisor Andrii Yermak was also present at the meeting.
“We met with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi together with Andriy Yermak to reaffirm mutual respect for territorial integrity,” Sybiha said on social media.
“We discussed the development of bilateral relations and trade. We also shared Ukraine’s vision of the path to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.”
Earlier, on Friday, Wang told the Munich Security Conference that China believes all stakeholders in the Russia-Ukraine conflict should participate in the peace talks.
At the Munich Security Conference, the “shared values” so frequently invoked by Europeans were called into question by US Vice President JD Vance. So do the US and Europe still speak the same language?
As Donald Trump is taking the US out of international forums, China is expected to move into the gap. But is Beijing capable of replacing the US? And does it even want to?
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Washington’s commitment to ending the war in Ukraine, the US State Department said.
The two top diplomats spoke on the phone, while European leaders and top diplomats discussed the future of Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference, which Rubio also attended.
“The secretary reaffirmed President Trump’s commitment to finding an end to the conflict in Ukraine,” US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement. “In addition, they discussed the opportunity to potentially work together on a number of other bilateral issues.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the pair expressed a “mutual willingness for cooperation on topical international issues, including the settlement around Ukraine, the situation around Palestine and the whole of the Middle East, as well as other regional areas.”
“They agreed on regular contacts, including for the preparation of a Russian-American summit meeting on a high level,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Trump said he will meet Putin in Saudi Arabia, after the two leaders spoke on the phone earlier this week.
Speaking at a Munich Security Conference panel, run by DW’s Conflict Zone and dedicated to the situation in Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, the United States special envoy, emphasized the US’s determination to end the war in Ukraine.
He said that talks aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine could focus on targeting Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s oil revenues.
“Russia is really a petrostate,” Kellogg said, adding that Western powers need to do more to effectively enforce sanctions
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