Which way EU is turning, what US wants and Ukraine's place: Munich takeaways
Exactly one year ago, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) became a turning point in relations between Europe and the United States. Vice President JD Vance delivered a speech stating back then that they no longer share common values.
At Munich 2026, the US government sent Secretary of State Marco Rubio instead of the toxic Vance, which seemed like a positive sign. However, the overall impressions remained extremely mixed.
The key leader and visionary at this conference turned out to be French President Emmanuel Macron, who laid out a vision of the changes Europe must undertake in order to withstand pressure not only from the United States, but also from Russia and China.
And the main topic of the meeting in Munich was neither confrontation with the US nor the Greenland crisis, but Ukraine.
Read more in the article by Sergiy Sydorenko, European Pravda's editor (from Munich): Ukraine won in Munich. Everything about the world’s main security conference and its consequences.
It was striking from the very beginning of the Munich Conference that key points of tension seemed to be ignored. Just a month ago in Davos, Greenland was unequivocally topic number one, pushing all other international political issues off the agenda. Yet in Munich, none of the top speakers mentioned it in their speeches.
And although in recent weeks the US has refrained from harsh actions or statements regarding Greenland, the uncertainty has not gone away.
Relations between Europe and the United States over the past year can hardly be described as simple.
This year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke at the conference, and his speech essentially fully aligned with Trump’s line toward Europe.
Overall, discussions about the US in Munich can be summed up in two words: Europe has woken up.
The French president’s speech appears to have been the main visionary address of the conference.
Emmanuel Macron defined the issue of Ukraine and EU support for it as "existential" for Europe. And this is indeed important. Because of this, he is convinced that support for Ukraine will not diminish over time. This, in turn, means that time will not be on Russia’s side.
Macron insists that in any peace settlement Europe must play a direct role, greater than what US President Donald Trump currently envisions.
"I want to be very clear: you can negotiate without Europeans if you want, but it will not bring peace to the negotiating table," he said, indirectly addressing Washington.
Macron emphasised that Europe must continue to arm itself even after peace is achieved. And also search for creative mechanisms to deter the Kremlin.
Virtually every leader spoke about the need to rapidly build up defence capabilities, very clearly acknowledging that the main military threat is Russia, a confrontation for which Europe is currently unprepared.
However, reaching this level of readiness is possible, believes German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
According to him, Germany intends to make its contribution. It is ready for militarisation, because this is the challenge of the time.
But these are long-term tasks. The priority is Ukraine. And this view is shared not only by Berlin.
Ukraine has never had as much agency as it does now.
For the first time in its history, the Munich Security Conference featured a "Ukrainian House" – a standalone venue operating as part of the official programme. The symbolism was hard to miss: within the MSC format, such status has been granted to only two other countries – Germany and the United States, with their respective "German House" and "American House". The Ukrainian venue was also the closest to the Bayerischer Hof hotel, the conference’s main stage – a subtle but telling marker of Kyiv’s elevated standing in Munich.
Munich also became a place for discussion about Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU.
Several European Pravda sources of the Munich meeting confirmed in the halls that the process has begun. Moreover, several European leaders cautiously but publicly expressed support for such a possibility.
However, it is important to avoid premature euphoria. A number of obstacles lie ahead, including political ones. And not all European leaders, in principle, support this idea.