Munich not the place for signing peace deal with Russia, says Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a peace agreement to end Russia's war against Ukraine cannot be signed in Munich, referencing the Munich Agreement of 1938, during "The Future of Ukrainian-American Security Cooperation" panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference.
"A peace agreement cannot be signed in Munich. Because this is Munich. And the U.S. president is not here. And we remember what was signed here. And I do not repeat such things," Zelenskyy said.
He emphasized that any peace agreement must primarily be discussed between Ukraine and the United States, with Europe playing a crucial role in the process.
"Because we are talking about security guarantees as the main point in any document about ending the war. Security guarantees for Ukraine and for all of Europe," Zelenskyy stressed.
The Munich Agreement was a document signed overnight on September 29, 1938, at an international conference by the heads of government of Germany (Adolf Hitler), Great Britain (Neville Chamberlain), France (Édouard Daladier), and Italy (Benito Mussolini). It discussed, without the participation of representatives of Czechoslovakia, Germany's demand for the transfer of the Sudetenland, with a predominantly German population (over 3 million people), to Nazi Germany.
The document provided for the separation from Czechoslovakia and the transfer to Germany between October 1 and October 10, 1938, of the Sudetenland region with all fortifications, equipment, weapons, factories, mines, railways, raw material reserves, etc.
On November 5, 2024, over 100 former high-ranking officials from Western countries signed an open letter urging against a Munich-style agreement with Russia.
On December 10, the Czech prime minister warned allies against appeasing Russia in any ceasefire agreement regarding Ukraine.
