 "From 1938 to 2025: Europe haunted by ‘Munich spirit’ as US pushes Russia-Ukraine talks")
The shadow of the failed appeasement of Nazi Germany eight decades ago loomed over a major gathering of European leaders as the United States proposed talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
As top policymakers convened at the annual Munich Security Conference, which concluded on Sunday, many drew unsettling parallels to the infamous 1938 “Munich Agreement” signed with Adolf Hitler in the same city. That deal, which permitted Germany to annex part of Czechoslovakia, is widely regarded as having emboldened the Nazi leader and paved the way for World War II.
Now, with US President Donald Trump unexpectedly launching negotiations with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, bypassing Kyiv and its European allies, concerns have emerged that history may be repeating itself.
“I cannot help but ask: have we been here before Czechoslovakia, 1938?” said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
“We have an aggressor at our door, intent on taking land that isn’t his, and the negotiators, not us, are already giving away their bargaining chips before the negotiations have even begun.”
Kallas said this was “a disastrous tactic, and we are heading full speed towards disaster.”
But she insisted that there were some key differences as Ukraine would not “surrender in silence” and Europe was committed to standing firmly by its side.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsCzech President Petr Pavel was one of many leaders who insisted that no deal should be negotiated by the United States over the heads of Europe and Ukraine.
“We have to be at the table. Otherwise we would somehow echo the Munich spirit that Czechoslovakia knows about pretty well,” he said.
Finland’s 3-phase plan for Ukraine peace talks
Finland’s president on Sunday urged the rearming of Ukraine and putting “maximum pressure on Russia” through sanctions and asset freezes in the run-up to possible negotiations sought by the U.S. on ending the war. France was set to host a meeting to help firm up Europe’s answer to assertive American diplomacy.
Alexander Stubb and other European leaders at the final day of the Munich Security Conference on Sunday sought to firm up how the European Union can move from talk to more action and stay relevant as Washington pushes to stop the fighting. He laid out three phases: “pre-negotiation,” ceasefire and long-term peace negotiation.
“The first phase is the pre-negotiation, and this is a moment when we need to rearm Ukraine and put maximum pressure on Russia, which means sanctions, which means frozen assets, so that Ukraine begins these negotiations from a position of strength," he said.
There were early signs of efforts for a quick reaction from EU leaders.
European leaders sound alarm on Russia’s imperial dreams
European countries fear that if Ukraine is forced into a bad deal by Washington then that will leave Putin claiming victory and the continent at the mercy of an emboldened Moscow.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk – whose country was attacked by Hitler in 1939, a year after the fateful Munich accord – was forthright.
“As a tourist I really like this place. Nice people, perfect beer,” he wrote on X.
“As a historian and politician the only thing I can say today is: MUNICH. NEVER AGAIN.”
Russia’s economy has already been put on a war footing and the country is churning out weaponry at a rate far outstripping that of the West.
Warnings are swirling that if it strikes a deal on Ukraine, then Moscow could be ready to attack a NATO country in the coming years.
“The war in Ukraine is about Russia, it’s about Russia’s imperial dreams, it’s about their wish and their will to take decisions upon European questions, and we cannot allow them to do it,” said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
“I dream about peace, of course, I will do anything to support peace – but I don’t believe in appeasement, it was wrong in Munich in 1938 and I think it will be wrong today.”
In a bid to ensure they are heard, European powers are scrambling to come up with ways to ensure that any deal Trump strikes does not allow Putin to launch fresh hostilities further down the road.
European leaders are set to meet for a hastily arranged summit in Paris on Monday, with proposals such as sending peacekeepers to Ukraine to patrol any ceasefire on the table.
They are also facing an unavoidable clamour to finally make good on pledges to ramp up their militaries after decades relying on the United States to underpin Europe’s security.
The new US administration has sown major concerns as Trump demands NATO countries spend more on their own defence.
Washington has warned it will no longer be primarily focused on the continent’s security and may have to shift forces elsewhere to focus on China.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the conference that “right now, Ukraine’s army, supported by global aid – thank you so much – is holding back Russia”.
“But if not us, then who will stop them? Really, Let’s be honest –- now we can’t rule out the possibility that America might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it.”
Macron convenes emergency meeting on Ukraine Monday
French President Emmanuel Macron will convene leading European countries for an emergency “working meeting” on Monday in Paris to discuss next steps for Ukraine after the U.S. announcements last week. Barrot spoke on public broadcaster France-Info.
“The president of the Republic will bring together the main European nations tomorrow for discussions on European security,” Barrot said, adding, “These meetings are very frequent.” He emphasized that European leaders remain in “constant contact.”
News reports said Prime Ministers Keir Starmer of Britain, Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, and Donald Tusk of Poland were among those set to attend.
“A wind of unity is blowing over Europe, as we perhaps have not felt since the COVID period,” Barrot added, underscoring the growing sense of cohesion among European allies.
With inputs from agencies.
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