At this year’s conference, the Western establishment is taking on Russia and Donald Trump

The most ardent defenders of the Western ‘rules-based international order’ are meeting at the Munich Security Conference on Friday and Saturday. This year, the focus isn’t just on Russia – it’s also on US President Donald Trump and the ‘populist’ threat in Europe.

Friday’s sessions provided a familiar mix of alarmism and contradiction. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that the rules-based order “no longer exists,” then vowed once again to build “the strongest conventional army in Europe.”

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky said he and Merz discussed “further military assistance” for Kiev on the sidelines – despite the flatlining of the German economy for years after cutting off Russian energy.

French President Emmanuel Macron appeared torn between détente and escalation. He called for diplomatic channels with Moscow to be reopened, then blasted Europe’s security architecture and floated plans for a joint EU nuclear doctrine.

Elsewhere, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas offered another round of unsubstantiated claims; US war hawk Lindsey Graham floated using European troops as “tripwire forces” in Ukraine; and US UN envoy Mike Waltz insisted that American power is a force for good – even when it involves abducting another country’s president. US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Governor Gavin Newsom used the conference as a platform to rail against Trump’s foreign policy.

Day two promises more politicking. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – who conspicuously skipped a Ukraine meeting on Thursday due to “scheduling conflicts” – is set to speak. Zelensky is also scheduled to appear on a panel on how to farm yet more international support for Ukraine.

Other headliners include UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.