The Munich Security Conference could ease tensions between the US and the European Union. This was stated by the Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum, Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2014-2016, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, on the British LBC radio station from the Munich Security Conference.

Yatsenyuk explained why there are expectations for more action rather than mere words from the conference. "The overall mood is about how to mend the fences with Americans. Marco Rubio has arrived in Munich, and he has a more transatlantic position. There are expectations that this conference will somehow mitigate the tension between the US and the European Union. I would be happy to see tougher actions rather than tougher statements,‘ said the KSF Chairman.

According to him, the path to results lies through three key components.

‘First, the more you provide support to Ukraine, the more it is going to be explicit for Russia that Russia won't have the ability to wait us out. Second, it is important to have Americans on board. And such a compromise can be found through a carrot-and-stick policy. And third, the US is still a vibrant democracy,‘ the former prime minister emphasised.

The Chairman of the KSF stressed that US President Donald Trump ‘must stop the war in Ukraine that Russia is waging, not on Putin's terms, but on Ukraine's terms. ‘He still has that opportunity. At least he has managed to increase pressure on the Russians with oil sanctions. Look at the Russian economy and Russian revenues. They are falling,’ Yatsenyuk stressed.

At the same time, he clearly stated that Ukraine cannot win the war without the US.

"If anyone in the US administration believes that they can turn their back on Ukraine and just abandon Ukraine, it would be a disaster for the United States and for US national security [...] After all, Russia poses a threat to the United States. And Russia is not alone. It is a close ally of China, and both countries want to establish a new type of “Chinese global order”. And this is a direct threat to the US," Yatsenyuk concluded.

The 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) is taking place on 13-15 February. It is an influential international forum on global security and defence policy, bringing together more than 450 world leaders. On February 14, the Munich Conference will host the first joint event of the Kyiv Security Forum and the MSC – a round table discussion entitled ‘Energy Warfare: How to Unplug Tyranny.’

The Kyiv Security Forum was founded in 2007 on the initiative of Arseniy Yatsenyuk and is the leading international discussion platform in Ukraine on issues of war and peace.