Hopes for Ukraine peace deal framework at Munich Security Conference

The director of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) hopes the “contours” of a peace agreement for Ukraine can be reached at the high-profile international summit in southern Germany this weekend.

“We hope – and we already have corresponding signals – that Munich will be used to make progress with regards to peace in Ukraine,” said Christoph Heusgen in Berlin on Monday.

Heusgen was in the German capital to present the “Munich Security Report 2025” ahead of the conference.

The MSC is due to take place from Friday to Sunday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US Vice President JD Vance and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz all expected to attend along with some 60 other political leaders. A meeting between Scholz and Vance is expected.

“Whether a plan will be announced at the conference remains to be seen,” said Heusgen.

“What I’m sure about is that the conference will be used to see the contours of such a plan, and which parameters must be in an agreement.”

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for almost three years.

German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Monday that intensive efforts at various levels to end the killing in Ukraine were ongoing.

However, Berlin’s stance that “nothing should be decided over the heads of the Ukrainians” remained unchanged, he noted.

The European Union is expected to send a high-profile delegation to the security meeting, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who will be accompanied by the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, European Council President Antonio Costa and the first-ever European commissioner for defence, Andrius Kubilius.

Russia has not been invited to take part since launching its war on Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

The Munich Security Report 2025 presented by Heusgen analyses “the far-reaching consequences of the multipolarization of the international order.”

It found that “for many politicians and citizens around the globe, a more multipolar world holds significant promise.”

However, recent developments suggest that “the negative effects of greater multipolarity are prevailing as divides between major powers grow and competition among different order models stands in the way of joint approaches to global crises and threats.”

The US, China and Russia are seen as superpowers by an overwhelming majority in almost all countries, followed by Britain, Japan and Germany, said Tobias Bunde, director of research at MSC.