JD Vance takes centre stage at Munich Security Conference – but fears of wider European war persist
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.
A police sniper secures the conference venue with his weapon. Pic: AP
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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.
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JD Vance criticises UK and Europe
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.
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Zelenskyy on Russia peace deal
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“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.”
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You can email James, Martha and Mark on trump100@sky.uk
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.
Germany’s ambassador to London Miguel Berger
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.”
We see the boat from a distance – the orange of the life jackets reflected in the rising sun.
And as we draw closer, we can make out dozens of people crowded on board as it sets off from the shore, from a beach near Dunkirk.
.
There is no sign of any police activity on the shore, and there are no police vessels in the water.
Instead, the migrants crammed into an inflatable dinghy are being watched by us, on board a private boat, and the looming figure of the Minck, a French search and rescue ship that soon arrives.
Minck, a French search and rescue ship, shadows the boat
The dinghy meanders. It’s not heading towards Britain but rather hugging the coast.
A few of the passengers wave at us cheerfully, but then the boat starts to head back towards the shore.
As it nears a different beach, we see a police vehicle – a dune buggy – heading down to meet it.
Normal practice is for French police officers to slice through the material of any of these small boats that end up back on shore.
Sky’s Adam Parsons at the scene
Two police officers get out of the buggy and wait. A police helicopter arrives and circles above, performing a tight circle over the heads of the migrants.
The police think they might be about to go back on to the beach; in fact, these passengers know that most of them are staying put.
The boat stops a short distance from the shore and four people jump out. As they wade towards the beach, the boat turns and starts to head back out to sea.
We see the two police officers approach these four men and have a brief conversation.
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They don’t appear to check the bags they are carrying and, if they do question them about why they left the boat, it is the most cursory of conversations.
In reality, these people probably don’t speak French but they were almost certainly involved in arranging this crossing, which is against the law. But all four walk away, disappearing into the dunes at the back of the beach.
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Why do migrants want to come to the UK?
We follow the boat as it chugs off in the direction of Britain, carrying around 50 people.
The Minck returns to shadowing its progress, but its job is limited to offering help if the boat gets into trouble.
Otherwise, if the engine keeps working, then this flimsy vessel will reach British waters in a few hours’ time.
World
IDF chief says conditions ‘created’ for Gaza ceasefire – as Trump says it could be ‘this week or next’
Donald Trump and a leading figure in the Israeli army have suggested a ceasefire in Gaza could be close.
Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), told Israeli media that “conditions were created to advance a deal” to bring about an end to the conflict in the coastal territory, and the release of hostages.
In a televised address, he said: “We have achieved many significant results, we have caused great damage to the governance and military capabilities of Hamas.
“Thanks to the operational power that we have demonstrated, the conditions have been created to advance a deal to release the hostages.”
‘This week, or next’
It comes as the US president hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington DC on a prolonged visit this week.
Mr Trump said his meetings with Mr Netanyahu were focused “on Gaza for the most part”.
He said: “I think we have a chance [of a ceasefire] this week, or next week.”
However, the US leader added: “Not definitely,” saying nothing was certain about the situation in Gaza.
Donald Trump speaks, as Pete Hegseth looks on, during a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pic: Reuters
Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a bilateral dinner with Donald Trump this week.
Pic: Reuters
Hamas reiterates ‘keenness’ to end fighting
Meanwhile, Hamas has repeated its message that it is committed to the negotiations but warned of a number of sticking points despite the positive noises from senior Israeli figures.
In a statement, the militant group said: “In its keenness to succeed in the ongoing efforts, the movement [Hamas] has shown the necessary flexibility and agreed to release 10 prisoners.
“The key points remain under negotiation, foremost among them: the flow of aid, the withdrawal of the occupation from the territories of the Gaza Strip, and the provision of real guarantees for a permanent ceasefire.”
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Mr Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff previously told a cabinet meeting that the anticipated ceasefire would last 60 days and involve the release of ten hostages and nine bodies.
A source close to the negotiations told Sky News that the hostage release would take place in two waves during the 60 days and was conditional on the ceasefire.
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Israeli strikes continue
It comes as Israeli attacks on Gaza continue.
According to hospital officials, at least 40 Palestinians were killed in the latest attacks on Gaza – including 10 people from the same family.
Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis said the dead included 17 women and 10 children.
While the politicians talk, so many people come from around the world to try to get across the Channel on small boats. But why?
Why make such a perilous crossing to try to get to a country that seems to be getting increasingly hostile to asylum seekers?
As the British and French leaders meet, with small boats at the forefront of their agenda, we came to northern France to get some answers.
It is not a new question, but it is peppered with fresh relevance.
Over the course of a morning spent around a migrant camp in Dunkirk, we meet migrants from Gaza, Iraq, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and beyond.
Some are fearful, waving us away; some are happy to talk. Very few are comfortable to be filmed.
All but one man – who says he’s come to the wrong place and actually wants to claim asylum in Paris – are intent on reaching Britain.
They see the calm seas, feel the light winds – perfect conditions for small boat crossings.
John has come here from South Sudan. He tells me he’s now 18 years old. He left his war-torn home nation just before his 16th birthday. He feels that reaching Britain is his destiny.
“England is my dream country,” he says. “It has been my dream since I was at school. It’s the country that colonised us and when I get there, I will feel like I am home.
“In England, they can give me an opportunity to succeed or to do whatever I need to do in my life. I feel like I am an English child, who was born in Africa.”
‘England is my dream country,’ John tells Adam Parsons
He says he would like to make a career in England, either as a journalist or in human resources, and, like many others we meet, is at pains to insist he will work hard.
The boat crossing is waved away as little more than an inconvenience – a trifle compared with the previous hardships of his journey towards Britain.
We meet a group of men who have all travelled from Gaza, intent on starting new lives in Britain and then bringing their families over to join them.
One man, who left Gaza two years ago, tells me that his son has since been shot in the leg “but there is no hospital for him to go to”.
Next to him, a man called Abdullah says he entered Europe through Greece and stayed there for months on end, but was told the Greek authorities would never allow him to bring over his family.
Britain, he thinks, will be more accommodating. “Gaza is being destroyed – we need help,” he says.
Abdullah says ‘Gaza is being destroyed – we need help’
A man from Eritrea tells us he is escaping a failing country and has friends in Britain – he plans to become a bicycle courier in either London or Manchester.
He can’t stay in France, he says, because he doesn’t speak French. The English language is presented as a huge draw for many of the people we talk to, just as it had been during similar conversations over the course of many years.
I ask many of these people why they don’t want to stay in France, or another safe European country.
Some repeat that they cannot speak the language and feel ostracised. Another says that he tried, and failed, to get a residency permit in both France and Belgium.
But this is also, clearly, a flawed survey. Last year, five times as many people sought asylum in France as in Britain.
And French critics have long insisted that Britain, a country without a European-style ID card system, makes itself attractive to migrants who can “disappear”.
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Migrant Channel crossings hit new record
A young man from Iraq, with absolutely perfect English, comes for a chat. He oozes confidence and a certain amount of mischief.
It has taken him only seven days to get from Iraq to Dunkirk; when I ask how he has made the trip so quickly, he shrugs. “Money talks”.
He looks around him. “Let me tell you – all of these people you see around you will be getting to Britain and the first job they get will be in the black market, so they won’t be paying any tax.
“Back in the day in Britain, they used to welcome immigrants very well, but these days I don’t think they want to, because there’s too many of them coming by boat. Every day it’s about seven or 800 people. That’s too many people.”
“But,” I ask, “if those people are a problem – then what makes you different? Aren’t you a problem too?”
He shakes his head emphatically. “I know that I’m a very good guy. And I won’t be a problem. I’ll only stay in Britain for a few years and then I’ll leave again.”
A man from Sri Lanka says he “will feel safe” when he gets to Britain; a tall, smiling man from Ethiopia echoes the sentiment: “We are not safe in our home country so we have come all this way,” he says. “We want to work, to be part of Britain.”
Emmanuel is another from South Sudan – thoughtful and eloquent. He left his country five years ago – “at the start of COVID” – and has not seen his children in all that time. His aim is to start a new life in Britain, and then to bring his family to join him.
He is a trained electrical engineer, but says he could also work as a lorry driver. He is adamant that Britain has a responsibility to the people of its former colony.
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“The British came to my country – colonising, killing, raping,” he said. “And we didn’t complain. We let it happen.
“I am not the problem. I won’t fight anyone; I want to work. And if I break the laws – if any immigrant breaks the laws – then fine, deport them.
“I know it won’t be easy – some people won’t like me, some people will. But England is my dream.”
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