JD Vance takes centre stage at Munich Security Conference – but fears of wider European war persist

Published

5 months ago

February 15, 2025

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With tripods and light-stands bashing the legs of world leaders, or at the very least their staff, TV crews squeeze up and down staircases overloaded with suits and military braids at an annual security conference in Munich.

Speeches and panel sessions are the main public spectacle inside a luxury hotel surrounded by tight security, but the real business takes place in private – behind the closed doors of multiple rooms on various floors.

Accessing the meeting rooms or at least attempting to catch a few words with officials shuttling in and out of them offers the best chance of gauging the high-stakes diplomacy going on – especially this year as Donald Trump‘s disruptive force shatters Europe’s order.

But attempting to squeeze along corridors bursting at the seams with chattering delegates makes every trip to a different room an uncomfortable sweaty workout.

As for what to be looking out for, a brief belief that Russia was sending a delegation to meet the Americans and the Ukrainians sparked a flurry of frenzied searching by journalists on Friday – the opening day of the three-day gathering.

Mr Trump had claimed such talks would be taking place in Munich.

But such a prospect rapidly faded after Moscow and Kyiv said that was not happening.

Instead, the movements of the US vice president and other American envoys were the primary focus, closely followed by Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then the Europeans.

JD Vance’s keynote speech in the main hall was a prime attraction until he opened his mouth and started berating Europeans over the state of their economy, accusing Germany, Sweden, the UK, and others of restricting free speech and censoring social media posts.

The words prompted a muted smattering of applause, while the majority of the audience of ministers and military chiefs looked sullen, including most notably Boris Pistorious, the German defence minister, who later rebuked Mr Vance for his comments.

Ukraine‘s president will have his moment on the big stage on Saturday, but he has been working the rooms, meeting top ministers and speaking to the press.

He made clear his desire for the choreography of any peace talks and said he had no immediate plans to talk with any Russians.

“First of all, I don’t want to meet just with Russia, just to meet for what? No. We see the order of meetings… is the United States, Europe, then Russia – to be ready for this meeting,” Mr Zelenskyy said, speaking in English.

He also offered a sense of the scale of any international force that might be needed to secure the peace in the event of a ceasefire with Vladimir Putin – and said he wanted the US to be involved, even though the defence secretary has ruled out US boots on the ground.

“If we’re talking about a contingent, I have a map that shows 110,000 foreigners. I’m being honest with you,” Mr Zelenskyy said.

“Ideally, our partners who are professionals at sea – Britain, the Nordics, etc – if they are experts, it would be best if they were in the sea,” he said.

“That’s how it should be, to be completely candid. So yes, we want the United States to be involved – don’t we? We really do.”

Later in the day, in another room under tight security, Mr Zelenskyy and his top team sat across the table from Mr Vance as well as Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

The Ukrainian leader is having to perform the most delicate of balancing acts – staying close to the Americans but also sticking to his red lines when it comes to concessions to Moscow.

“We have good conversation today, our first meeting – not last,” Mr Zelenskyy told watching cameras.

“We need to speak more, to work more, and to prepare the plan, how to stop Putin and finish the war.”

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Mr Vance repeated his boss’s ambition.

“We want the war to come to a close, we want the killing to stop, but we want to achieve a durable, lasting peace, not the kind of peace that’s going to have Eastern Europe in conflict just a couple years down the road,” he said.

But there remains a worry that this is exactly what might happen.

European allies are also concerned that they are being sidelined and Ukraine’s future put at risk because of the noises that have been coming out of the White House about Vladimir Putin, his war in Ukraine and whose fault it was.

Miguel Berger, Germany’s ambassador to London, is one of the many thousands of delegates who have gathered for the three-day Munich Security Conference.

He set out Berlin’s concerns about the US when it comes to Ukraine.

“We are worried about several things,” the ambassador said.

“First of all, I must say we were quite surprised about some of the comments which were made at the NATO defence ministers meeting.

“I think it’s not very wise to say upfront which things you [won’t] ask from Putin or whether you might concede.”

He added: “So that’s why it is so urgent to use now the Munich Security Conference to talk about all these topics, how we are going to approach such talks, and what the role of the Europeans and the Ukraine games will be that.”

World

Defiance in Tehran as Khamenei makes appearance

Published

4 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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Defiance in Tehran as Khamenei makes appearance

They rose to their feet in ecstatic surprise, shouting “heydar, heydar” – a Shia victory chant.

This was the first public appearance of their supreme leader since Israel began attacking their country.

He emerged during evening prayers in his private compound. He said nothing but looked stern and resolute as he waved to the crowd.

He has spent the last weeks sequestered in a bunker, it is assumed, for his safety following numerous death threats from Israel and the US.

His re-emergence suggests a return to normality and a sense of defiance that we have witnessed here on the streets of Tehran too.

Earlier, we had filmed as men in black marched through the streets of the capital to the sound of mournful chants and the slow beat of drums, whipping their backs with metal flails.

This weekend they mark the Shia festival of Ashura as they have for 14 centuries. But this year has poignant significance for Iranians far more than most.

The devout remember the betrayal and death of Imam Hussein as if it happened yesterday. We filmed men and women weeping as they worshipped at the Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine in northern Tehran.

The armies of the Caliph Yazid killed the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh-century Battle of Karbala.

Shiite Muslims mark the anniversary every year and reflect on the virtue it celebrates, of resistance against oppression and injustice.

But more so than ever in the wake of Israel and America’s attacks on their country.

The story is one of prevailing over adversity and deception. A sense of betrayal is keenly felt here among people and officials.

Many Iranians believe they were lured into pursuing diplomacy as part of a ruse by the US.

Iran believed it was making diplomatic progress in talks with America it hoped could lead to a deal. Then Israel launched its attacks and, instead of condemning them, the US joined in.

Death to Israel chants resounded outside the mosque in skies which were filled for 12 days with the sounds of Israeli jets. There is a renewed sense of defiance here.

One man told us: “The lesson to be learned from Hussein is not to give in to oppression even if it is the most powerful force in the world.”

A woman was dismissive about the US president. “I don’t think about Trump, nobody likes him. He always wants to attack too many countries.”

Pictures on billboards nearby draw a line between Imam Hussein’s story and current events. The seventh-century imam on horseback alongside images of modern missiles and drones from the present day.

Other huge signs remember the dead. Iran says almost 1,000 people were killed in the strikes, many of them women and children.

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Officially Iran is projecting defiance but not closing the door to diplomacy.

Government spokeswoman Dr Fatemeh Mohajerani told Sky News that Israel should not even think about attacking again.

“We are very strong in defence and as state officials have announced, this time Israel will receive an even stronger response compared to previous times,” she said.

“We hope that Israel will not make such a mistake.”

But there is also a hint of conciliation: Senior Iranian officials have told Sky News that back-channel efforts are under way to explore new talks with the US.

Israel had hoped its attacks could topple the Iranian leadership. That proved unfounded, the government is in control here.

For many Iranians, it seems quite the opposite happened – the 12-day war has brought them closer together.

World

‘Nobody likes Trump’: Sky News finds defiance on the streets of Tehran

Published

16 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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'Nobody likes Trump': Sky News finds defiance on the streets of Tehran

To the sound of mournful chants and the slow beat of drums, they march, whipping their backs with metal flails.

It is an ancient ceremony going back almost 14 centuries – the Shia commemoration of Ashura.

But this year in particular has poignant significance for Iranians.

The devout remember the betrayal and death of the Imam Hussein as if it happened yesterday.

We filmed men and women weep as they worshipped at the Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine in northern Tehran.

The grandson of the Prophet Muhammad was killed by the armies of the Caliph Yazid in the seventh century Battle of Karbala.

Shia Muslims mark the anniversary every year and reflect on the virtue it celebrates – of resistance against oppression and injustice. But more so than ever this year, in the wake of Israel and America’s attacks on their country.

The story is one of prevailing over adversity and deception. A sense of betrayal is keenly felt here by people and officials.

Many Iranians believe they were lured into pursuing diplomacy as part of a ruse by the US.

Iran believed it was making diplomatic progress in talks with America, which it hoped could lead to a deal. Then Israel launched its attacks and, instead of condemning them, the US joined in.

“Death to Israel” chants resounded outside the mosque in skies that for 12 days were filled with the sounds of Israeli jets.

There is a renewed sense of defiance here.

One man told us: “The lesson to be learned from Hussein is not to give in to oppression, even if it is the most powerful force in the world.”

A woman was dismissive about the US president.

“I don’t think about Trump. Nobody likes him. He always wants to attack too many countries.”

Pictures on billboards nearby link Imam Hussein’s story and current events. They show the seventh century imam on horseback alongside images of modern missiles and drones from the present day.

Other huge signs remember the dead. Iran says almost 1,000 people were killed in the strikes, many of them women and children.

Officially Iran is projecting defiance, but not closing the door to diplomacy.

Government spokeswoman Dr Fatemeh Mohajerani told Sky News that Israel should not even think about attacking again.

“We are very strong in defence, and as state officials have announced, this time Israel will receive an even stronger response compared to previous times. We hope that Israel will not make such a mistake.”

But there is also a hint of conciliation. Senior Iranian officials have told Sky News back-channel efforts are under way to explore new talks with the US.

Israel had hoped its attacks could topple the Iranian leadership. Those hopes proved unfounded. The government is in control here.

For many Iranians it seems quite the opposite happened – the 12-day war has brought them closer together.

World

Two security workers injured after grenades thrown at aid site, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says

Published

19 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Two security workers injured after grenades thrown at aid site, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says

Two American security workers in Gaza were injured after grenades were thrown during food distribution in Khan Younis, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said.

In a statement, the US and Israeli-backed aid group said a targeted terrorist attack was carried out at one of its sites in southern Gaza on Saturday morning.

The two Americans injured “are receiving medical treatment and are in stable condition,” it said, adding that the delivery of aid was “otherwise successful” and that “no local aid workers or civilians were harmed”.

GHF didn’t say exactly when the incident happened but claimed Hamas was behind the attack, adding: “GHF has repeatedly warned of credible threats from Hamas, including explicit plans to target American personnel, Palestinian aid workers, and the civilians who rely on our sites for food.

“Today’s attack tragically affirms those warnings.”

Later, the aid group posted a picture on social media, which it said showed “fragments of a grenade packed with ball bearings” that was used in the attack.

Asked by Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, whether the two injured individuals were responsible for handing out aid or were responsible for providing security, GHF said they were “American security workers” and “two American veterans.”

The aid group did not provide specific evidence that Hamas was behind the attack.

The US and Israeli-backed group has been primarily responsible for aid distribution since Israel lifted its 11-week blockade of the Gaza Strip in May.

It comes after Sky News analysis showed GHF aid distributions are associated with a significant increase in deaths in Gaza.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, 600 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid from GHF sites as of 3 July, which charities and the UN have branded “death traps”.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press has reported that Israeli-backed American contractors guarding GHF aid centres in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades.

GHF has vehemently denied the accusations, adding that it investigated AP’s allegations and found them to be “categorically false”.

Israel’s military added that it fires only warning shots and is investigating reports of civilian harm.

It denies deliberately shooting at any innocent civilians and says it’s examining how to reduce “friction with the population” in the areas surrounding the distribution centres.