In the coming days, the G7 foreign ministers will also discuss the situation surrounding Ukraine at a security conference in Munich. The conference has been held since 1963 and brings together leaders from politics, the economy and the armed forces at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel. The conference in the Bavarian capital runs from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon.

Traditionally, conferences have been arranged to “enter dialogue for peace” in a relaxed atmosphere without formal fuss. The conference is primarily a platform for NATO and/or European Union countries, but over the years more and more countries have been invited and joined. There are currently around 350 participants from more than seventy countries. But relaxation seems a long way to go this year. Russia will not send an official delegation for the first time since 1991 because of tensions with the West over Ukraine.

come together

Among the attendees will be US Vice President Kamala Harris, who will chat with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky about the crisis in his country following his speech on Saturday. The G7 foreign ministers will also discuss Ukraine during the conference on Saturday. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is the hostess as chair. The G7 is a group of influential western industrialized nations. Its members are Germany, Canada, France, England, Italy, Japan and the United States. The EU also joined, but was not officially a member.

On Thursday, Biden again repeated his warning that Russia would attack Ukraine. “Every indication we have is that they are ready to enter Ukraine,” the US president said.

shine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accepted an invitation to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov next weekend, the US State Department said Thursday (local time). The meeting hinges on Russia not invading Ukraine for a while, the ministry said.

Blinken said earlier in the day that he had sent a letter to Lavrov proposing to meet in Europe next week to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine. Later that day, Blinken repeated his warning to the UN Security Council that Russian forces were preparing to attack Ukraine in the “coming days.” Russia is said to be planning to design opportunities for attacks on neighboring countries, for example in the form of fake or real chemical weapons attacks.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called the military scenario outlined by Blinken “sad” and “dangerous.” He added that some of the Russian soldiers stationed in the border area had just returned to their bases. He also accused Ukraine of repeated attacks in the eastern Donbas region, in which “thousands of people were killed.”

Also listen to the podcast Worldly! about TikTok’s interesting role in the conflict in Ukraine: