What happened at the Munich Security Conference? The seven statements that caused a stir

The annual three-day gathering in the Bavarian city saw a host of leaders offering, at times, competing visions.

Global leaders, ministers and other key policymakers descended on Munich over the weekend to discuss the key challenges facing the world, with Ukraine and the possible start of peace negotiations with Russia at the top of the agenda.

The must-see speeches, delivered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and US Vice President JD Vance, clearly exposed how disconnected the two sides of the Atlantic are becoming regarding their assessments of threats.

"A bold new approach": Ursula von der Leyen

"I can announce that I will propose activating the escape clause for defense investment. This will allow member states to significantly increase their defense spending," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Context: EU member states must invest €500 billion in defense over the next decade, and leaders are struggling to agree on common instruments.

It is known that easing fiscal rules was already considered as a possible solution earlier this month by EU leaders after an unofficial retreat on defense.

This would allow member states with little fiscal space to increase defense spending without violating EU rules and becoming the target of an Excessive Deficit Procedure that could lead to fines.

Eight member states are currently targeted by such a procedure.

Von der Leyen told the conference that the move would be part of a "bold new approach" because "when it comes to European security, Europe must do more. Europe must bring more to the table."

Europe is retreating from its fundamental values: JD Vance

"The threat I worry about most facing Europe is not Russia, it's not China, it's not any other external actor. And what I worry about is the threat from within: the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values ​​shared with the United States of America," said the US vice president.

Context: Europe was hoping that Vance would provide some clarity on the US administration's strategy for peace talks with Russia, following comments earlier in the week from Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth.

A statement by the US president implied that Europe and Ukraine could be excluded from negotiations with Russia, while the Secretary of Defense said it is "impossible" for Ukraine to believe it will become a member of NATO or return to its pre-2014 borders, writes € news, the Telegraph reports.

But Vance made only a passing reference to Ukraine and instead devoted his 10-minute keynote speech to criticizing Europe for allegedly backsliding on democratic values ​​and failing to listen to its voters.

NATO membership not off the table for Ukraine: Rutte

"This is not about the peace agreement. Some think it should be part of a peace agreement, but it is not part of the outcome. We have to take it step by step, we have to make sure that the agreement ensures that Putin doesn't try again," said Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General.

Context: Hegseth's statement at the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels earlier in the week seemed to imply that Ukraine may be forced to give up its aspiration to join the military alliance as part of peace negotiations with Russia to end the war.

This is despite the fact that allies said last year after a summit in Washington that Ukraine was on an "irreversible path" towards membership.

Rutte, however, denied that NATO membership would be linked to peace talks.

Let's create 'the armed forces of Europe': Zelensky

"We must build the European Armed Forces so that the future of Europe depends only on Europeans and decisions about Europe are made in Europe," Zelensky said in a speech.

Context: Trump's announcement that he had a long phone call with Vladimir Putin without first consulting Ukraine, Washington's repeated calls for Europe to take more responsibility for its security and shift its foreign policy toward the Indo-Pacific, along with warnings from intelligence agencies that Russia could have the means to attack a European NATO ally by 2030, are accelerating discussions about European capabilities.

"Let's be clear, we cannot rule out the possibility that America may refuse to cooperate with Europe on issues that threaten it," Zelensky said, adding that "Ukraine will never accept back-to-back deals without its involvement, and the same rule should apply to all of Europe."

I will restore Germany's leadership in the EU: Merz

"I am hearing from the meetings here at the conference that there is a lack of German leadership within the European Union and I completely agree with those who are looking for leadership from Germany, and I am honestly ready to do this because I see that Germany is in a strategic position at the center of Europe; that so many things in Europe depend on Germany," Friedrich Merz said in a panel discussion.

Context: The leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is widely expected to be the next German chancellor after elections to be held on February 23.

The country's elections were postponed after the collapse of Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition.

It is reported that the dispute, along with Germany's economic problems, had weakened Berlin's voice at the European level.

US-Ukraine rare earths deal a 'nightmare' for Putin: Graham

"If this minerals deal happens, it's a nightmare for Putin, because we have something to protect that we didn't have before. So you better move this minerals deal forward," said US Senator Lindsey Graham.

Context: In an interview earlier this week, Trump appeared to suggest that continued U.S. military support for Ukraine could be conditioned on a $500 billion deal on critical raw materials used in a wide range of everyday and high-tech devices, including military equipment.

Otherwise, China controls significant portions of the global mining and processing of a number of these materials, including lithium, gallium, and germanium.

Graham said that with this agreement, "Trump can go to the American people and say that Ukraine is not a burden, it's a benefit."

"They are sitting on top of trillions of dollars worth of minerals that we can all benefit from," the senator added.

Europe likely not to be at peace talks: Kellogg

"You can have Ukrainians, Russians and Americans at the table talking," said Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

Context: European leaders and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky have said for months that any peace talks with Russia would have to include them since any deal would affect the security of the entire continent.

But Trump's call with Putin suggested that both sides could be excluded, sparking a "diplomatic storm" over the past week between European capitals and Kiev.

Pushed for Europe's participation, Kellogg said: "I think that's not going to happen."

He added that the "European alliance" would nevertheless be "critical" to ensuring Ukrainian sovereignty. /Telegraph/