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Dear friends of peace,

The 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) will take place from February 13-15, 2026. Almost exactly one year ago, US Secretary of State Vance delivered a — to put it mildly — controversial speech at the Bayerischer Hof. It is now more than evident that the US administration intends to cling to the unipolar world order by all means. Relationships with long-standing “partners and friends” in Europe and the immediate vicinity (especially Canada) are being called into question. International law plays virtually no role anymore in the (often violent) enforcement of US interests. Threats and blackmail are being employed, regardless of whether the targets are NATO allies or Venezuela and Iran. While military action has already been taken in Caracas, and military intervention in Iran seems only a matter of time, the EU has once again gotten off with a “slap on the wrist.” However, US President Trump did not hesitate to threaten Denmark, and thus the EU, with the use of military force (“military force is always an option”) should an acceptable “deal” on Greenland not be concluded from the US perspective. This does not bode well for the next three years.

Russia continues its war against Ukraine, which violates international law. The attacks on energy infrastructure are taking a toll on Ukraine. The harsh winter is contributing to the deterioration of living conditions for many Ukrainians. Trump is eyeing the November midterm elections and aims to end the war by summer if possible. The current approach: increasing pressure on Ukraine to accept Moscow’s demands for territorial concessions. The issues of security guarantees for Ukraine, the establishment of demilitarized buffer zones, and the handling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain completely unresolved. Despite ongoing talks, a swift end to this war still does not appear imminent.

The war in Israel/Palestine has led to particularly high casualty figures and massive destruction on the Palestinian side. The US administration brokered a ceasefire a few months ago, which Israel, in particular, has been adhering to rather poorly. There are still almost daily deaths in Gaza. The USA has presented a kind of reconstruction plan for Gaza, in which the Palestinians, however, play virtually no role.

The EU remains largely invisible on the international diplomatic stage. This is primarily due to the role “assigned” to it by the USA. One can only hope that the EU — and thus Germany — will increasingly advocate for balance and conflict resolution in the future, and less for rearmament and militarization. However, EU Commission President von der Leyen recently once again brought up the idea of establishing an EU army. She is setting a course towards the “United States of Europe” to play a larger international role. This does not bode well for peace in Europe.

It is still unclear when Jens Stoltenberg will take over the leadership of the MSC. Therefore, Wolfgang Ischinger will temporarily fill this position again.

The MSC weekend will primarily revolve around the “rules-based international order,” multilateralism, and transatlantic relations. The MSC’s mission is “peace through dialogue.” Unfortunately, this mission is sometimes forgotten: while representatives of the Iranian government were disinvited, the son of the last Shah, Reza Pahlavi, who last set foot on Iranian soil in 1978, received an invitation. According to recent press reports, he will participate in the MSC 2026.

Matthias Linnemann, Co-Chair MSKv

Around the Munich Security Conference 2026

Information on events of the peace movement, the activities of our association at the MSC 2026 and our current project newspaper can be found under this link