European foreign ministers gather at the Munich Security Conference, emphasizing the need for a united European response to the war in Ukraine and the importance of guaranteeing Ukraine's future security, potentially through NATO membership.
Europe is confronting an 'existential' moment in its history as the future of Ukraine remains uncertain, regional foreign ministers told a CNBC-moderated panel at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. The Europe an foreign ministers said Ukrainian membership of NATO was the 'cheapest' and 'best' way to guarantee Ukraine's security in future.
\Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, speaking at the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC), described the current situation as an 'existential moment' and stressed the need for a united European response. 'This is an existential moment and it's a moment where Europe has to stand up,' she said. 'Our answer to others' 'My Nation First' is 'Europe United,' and this is what we show here on the panel, this is what we have shown in the last couple of days — that we made clear there will not be any peace in Europe if it's not a European peace.' \U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy echoed Baerbock's sentiments, characterizing the war in Ukraine as a frontline not just for the country but for Europe. He emphasized the need to address the 'existential question' over Ukraine's future security. 'We know that even when we get to a negotiated peace, Putin won't go away, so this is an existential question for Europe, we need that question alongside the United States and at an appropriate time we'll get into a debate about security guarantees and there will be an arrangement,' he said. The European foreign ministers agreed that allowing Ukraine to join NATO in the future could be the most effective and cost-efficient way to deter future Russian aggression. Lammy stated, 'We say that there is an irreversible pathway for Ukraine towards NATO,' adding that it was 'the cheapest and it is the best mechanism to secure peace not just in Europe but across the Euro-Atlantic.' Baerbock concurred, stating 'the pathway for Ukraine lies in NATO' and that it would be the 'cheapest' way to guarantee Ukraine's long-term security. \European officials were alarmed by President Donald Trump's announcement last week that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, proposing peace talks seemingly without consulting European allies beforehand. Trump and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth further fueled European concerns by stating that they believed Ukrainian membership in NATO was an 'unrealistic' objective. European officials countered that it was a mistake for U.S. officials to remove Ukrainian NATO membership, a key concern for Russia and a potential point of leverage for allies, from the negotiating table. \This year's Munich Security Conference has brought together defense and security officials from around the world to discuss the future of Ukraine, peace talks with Russia, and Europe's defense architecture. The meeting takes place amidst high expectations for an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, but also heightened anxiety about the potential implications of a U.S.-brokered peace deal and the role of allies in negotiations. Concerns also persist that Russia might attempt to regroup and attack Ukraine again if Kyiv is not granted sufficient security guarantees. However, NATO chief Mark Rutte also told the MSC that Europe's NATO members need to 'stop complaining' about being sidelined, and Radosław Sikorski, Poland's foreign minister, who described the current situation as both 'a crisis and a result' of Europe having consumed a 'peace dividend' for too long, added on Saturday that he wasn't too concerned that Europe hadn't been consulted ahead of Trump's phone call with Putin last week. Still, he believed the 'call was a mistake because it vindicates President Putin and lowers morale in Ukraine' but asserted that, sooner or later, Europe would have to be involved in talks on Ukraine's future security. 'But when President Trump says that as part of a deal there will have to be European troops then it will be up to us to supply them, so sooner or later we will have to be involved,' he said. Jean-Noël Barrot, minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in France, said the continent had a lot to offer in terms of leadership. 'Let me first try to fight against some form of Euro-bashing or Euro-pessimism,' he said
EUROPE UKRAINE NATO MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE RUSSIA EUROPEAN UNION PEACE TALKS SECURITY GUARANTEES
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