Ukraine peace plan, Middle East situation to top agenda of Munich Security Conference

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - US President Donald Trump’s Ukraine peace plan and the situation in the Middle East will be among the top issues to be discussed in this year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC), its chairman ambassador Christoph Heusgen said on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Heusgen said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US Vice President JD Vance, and US president’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg will be among the top officials to be attending the high-profile conference beginning on Friday.

“I cannot say whether a plan will be announced at the conference, but I am sure that the conference will be an opportunity to discuss the outline of such a plan, and what parameters must be included in such an agreement. We will hopefully make progress in Munich and the fact that Keith Kellogg, who is responsible for this matter, is attending the conference indicates this,” he said.

More than 60 heads of state and government, along with over 100 defense and foreign ministers and leaders of international organizations, will gather in Munich on Friday for the three-day high-level conference.

Heusgen said the conference will also address the Middle East crisis, Syria's political process, conflicts in Africa, and tensions in Southeast Asia.

“We will also have strong representation from the Middle East as it was the case last year, with representatives from Israel, the Arab states and the Gulf states, because this topic will of course play a major role,” Heusgen said, adding that Syria’s new Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani will also attend the conference for the first time.

The 61st Munich Security Conference will begin on Friday with the opening speech of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. During the three-day conference, Vance, Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also deliver speeches.

Other speakers include EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, UK's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.