Munich safety convention reside: Starmer warns Europe should be ‘ready to fight’ as Zelensky addresses summit
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia fired 6,000 attack drones in January as he told the Munich Security Conference that “unity” was his country’s best defence.
“I want you to understand the real scale of these attacks on Ukraine”, he told world leaders gathered at the summit.
Pointing to a chart displaying statistics from January, he said Ukraine had: “To defend against 6000 attack drones, most of them were Shahid drones, and 150 plus Russian missiles of different types, and more than 5000 glide bombs.
“And it’s like these every month. Imagine this over your own city.”
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer used his speech to insist the UK would honour the Nato commitment to defend its allies if called upon as he sent a message to Donald Trump.
The US president has questioned whether the US’s European partners would answer an article five call if it were made today.
The prime minister sought to dispel this doubt, saying: “To all Nato members, our commitment to article five is as profound now as ever, and be in no doubt, if called on, the UK would come to your aid today.”
Unity is best defence against Russia, Zelensky says
Discussing the defence of Ukraine, Zelensky tells the hall: “That is why while we invest in interceptors and protection, Russia invests in breaking unity between all of us, our unity with you, unity in Europe, unity in the Euro-Atlantic community, they want to break it.
“Why? Because our unity is the best interceptor against Russia’s aggressive plans – the best one – and we still have it.”
Zelensky says Iranian regime must be stopped
On the situation in Iran, where demonstrations against the regime continue, he says: “The Iranian regime has already done and can still do more harm than many other regimes could do in the century.
He adds: “When they have time, they only kill more. They must be stopped immediately.”
Zelensky: ‘I want you to understand scale of attacks’
The Ukrainian president began his speech talking about the importance of air defence.
He then told the conference: “I want you to understand the real scale of these attacks on Ukraine.”
He said in January it faced 6000 attack drones and more than 150 missiles, as well as more than 5000 glide bombs.
“And it’s like these every month”, he added.
“Imagine this over your own city. Shattered streets, destroyed homes, schools built underground.
“And this is daily life in Ukraine because of Russia.”
Zelensky on stage
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is now on stage in Munich for his address, before a panel discussion.
Keir Starmer to deploy UK warships to the Arctic following Trump’s Greenland threats
During his address, Sir Keir also outlined plans for Britain to pursue “deeper economic integration” with the European Union, aiming to “move closer to the single market” in various sectors. He asserted that the current EU-UK “status quo is not fit for purpose,” acknowledging that such a shift would entail “trade-offs.”
Main takeaways from Starmer’s speech
Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
In a wide-ranging speech and Q&A session at the Munich security conference Keir Starmer touched on everything from deploying UK warships to last week’s attempts to oust him as prime minister and Brexit.Here are the key things he said:
- Europe “must be ready to fight” as it faces a growing threat from Russia.
- Trump should “be in no doubt – if called on the UK would come to your aid today”.
- A group of British warships will patrol the Arctic following Trump’s threats to annex Greenland.
- The UK should economically align more closely with the EU.
- “We are not the Britain of the Brexit years anymore” and must co-operate on more with Europe, and rely less on the US, on defence.
- Attacked Reform as “pro-Putin” as he accused Farage’s party and the Greens of “division and then capitulation” that would see the “the lamps go out across Europe once again”
- Denied he “narrowly missed” being toppled and said he ended this week “much stronger than I started it, and that’s a very good place to be.”
Starmer denies he was nearly ‘toppled’ as he attacks Farage’s Reform as ‘pro-Putin’
Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
The Labour leader denied he was almost forced from office this week as he attacked Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party as pro-Putin.
Asked if he had “narrowly missed” being toppled, after the leader of Scottish Labour called on him to resign, he said: “No, I reject that. I ended the week much stronger than I started it, and that’s a very good place to be.”
He said his party and his government were completely united on the question of Ukraine and defence and security and the need for stronger relations with Europe on these issues.
He also hit out at Mr Farage’s party saying: “Reform have a different agenda, they are pro Putin. We know where they stand. Imagine if they were in government in the United Kingdom… We would not be seen as a leader on the European or international stage. We would be seen as a country that people couldn’t do business with.”
WATCH: Starmer warns Europe must be ‘ready to fight to protect its people, values and way of life’
Starmer takes aim at Reform
The prime minister says on stage that Reform is “pro-Putin” and we “would be seen as a country that people could not do business with”.
Starmer calls for the UK to economically align more closely with the EU
Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
The PM used his speech in Munich to say the UK should more closely align with the EU economically.
He said the UK should “move closer to the single market” in certain markets, where it was in the interest of both sides.
His message comes just months before the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum result which took the UK out of the EU.
Source: independent.co.uk
