Zelensky Calls for Independent Europe from Munich Security Conference

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Europe should be “independent” in partnership with the US, as the first day of the 2026 Munich Security Conference came to an end.

The annual conference, which is scheduled to take place from Feb. 13-15, brings together heads of state, ministers, researchers, journalists, and civil society to debate pressing international security policy.

“Europe needs an independent and strong defense industry – in partnership with the United States. I believe that Europe should be independent, with strong security guarantees,” Zelensky said in a Telegram post on Friday.

Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready to share its battlefield experience with European allies – adding that Kyiv counts on its “strategic partnership with Germany and other European countries.”

“We can share our experience, and I am glad that during this Munich Security Conference we are opening joint production,” he continued – apparently referring to the production of Ukrainian drones in Germany, which Zelensky previously said would begin before the end of February.

Later, the president met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with whom he discussed the “first significant results” of joint production and “how to scale it up.”

Earlier on Friday, Merz made his opening address to the conference – telling attendees that the global order “no longer exists.”

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Full Statement (Translated): UK, France and Germany After Moscow Talks

The British Embassy in Moscow published a joint statement on Thursday after a rare meeting between UK, French and German envoys at Moscow’s foreign ministry building. Amid Europe’s renewed peace push, the statement backs Zelensky’s recent call for a direct meeting with Vladimir Putin.

“The leadership claim of the US is being challenged, perhaps already lost,” Merz said, as per Politico.

Zelensky also met with Reza Pahlavi, whose father was the Shah of Iran deposed in 1979.

“We condemned the cooperation between Russia and Iran, in particular the Iranian regime’s supply of Shaheds to Russia and the transfer of licenses for the corresponding production,” Zelensky said. “Such a partnership poses a real threat not only to Ukraine, but also to the entire region.”