Zelensky in Berlin: “The future is being shaped in the US today.” He then speaks more about Europe than about Ukraine

“Today, the world’s attention will be focused on a single country: the United States. Voting takes place there today, and these elections will shape the future”, including for those people who still harbour “a very strong memory of an America they could rely on with confidence, without even having to think about it”. That America “is a beautiful dream; its horizon is the human desire for freedom”, but “we have already seen days after which the world felt that this vision might no longer exist”. Ukrainian President Zelensky does not speak directly about Donald Trump, at least not in the speech he has prepared, but the packed hall at the Berlin Security Conference takes his words to heart. “Security is like the air… Nobody wakes up wondering whether there will be enough air to breathe tomorrow… But when security disappears, everything that makes a normal life possible disappears with it. Losing security means death.”

Zelensky arrived in the German capital on Tuesday, by surprise, as always. Before attending the conference, the Ukrainian president met with Chancellor Merz. One of the main topics of the meeting was to press for European involvement in the peace talks scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi, where, on the US’s initiative, representatives from Ukraine, the US and Russia are due to meet on 10–11 November. “No one can talk about Ukraine without Ukraine. It’s like talking about security in Europe without Europe,” says Zelensky. Speaking before an audience of military personnel, politicians and experts at the conference, the Ukrainian President once again thanked Washington for the aid provided to Kyiv, adding that it is a thank-you he wishes to repeat often: “just to make sure that even those who sometimes feel we haven’t thanked them enough hear us”. Another clear message, in this case directed at Vance.

But in Berlin, Zelensky seems keen to thank Europe above all else; he wants to talk primarily about Europe, though not without concern. “What would happen if Germany were to disappear from the map of European and global security? And if France were to disappear? What would then remain of the European security architecture?” Further clear references. To the possibility of Paris falling into the hands of Le Pen and, even more so, of Berlin falling into the hands of the pro-Russian AfD. “Too much – far too much – depends on what Germany believes in and whom it trusts. The United States’ role in the world could diminish further. So Europe’s role in the world must become even greater. And without Germany, this is impossible. Impossible,” states the Ukrainian president.

“Without you, freedom will surely be lost. There is no alternative to your commitment and strength when it comes to freedom and security in Europe. Europe has no alternative to Germany.” A play on words almost certainly aimed at “Alternative für Deutschland”. Instead of discussing the difficult situation on the ground in Ukraine – with a harsh winter approaching and the skies still lacking sufficient protection – Zelensky then chooses to describe Russia’s hybrid war. Moscow “does not act solely through obvious brute force. Its methods are extremely varied: from drones at Leipzig Airport to armies of bots pushing all manner of extreme ideas on social media. Why do they do this? Because the stronger the extreme ideas become, the more conflict there is, and the less room there is for the centre. Less room for dialogue. Less room to work together, including on security”.

The Ukrainian president persists in trying to rally the European Union and its member states: “Sometimes we don’t even realise how strong we are, and Europe is very strong. Yes, there are internal issues […], but in any case, in Europe you have unity, you have very strong capabilities, industry, truly brilliant people, and enormous production capacity”, and it is a united Europe that is also “several times stronger than Russia”. In the middle of his speech, he also took a dig at Elon Musk: “When it comes to new technologies such as Starlink and similar systems, several countries are building their own versions of Starlink. Germany, too, is building its own system. And that’s the right thing to do, because the key issue is who controls the on and off switches.” Zelenskyy then departed, accompanied by his security detail, as another night of war was about to begin in Ukraine.