Munich Security Conference chief urges action rather than rhetoric on European defense

Munich Security Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger on Sunday urged European leaders to move from rhetoric to concrete action on defense, calling for clearer plans to strengthen the continent's security architecture amid growing global uncertainty.

In his closing remarks at the three-day gathering, Ischinger said "Europeans are stepping up on defense," and that countries are willing to shoulder a larger share of the security burden.

He, however, stressed that speeches are not enough.

"What we need now is a plan, is action," he said, urging EU members to ramp up defense production and clarify how they would strengthen collective security mechanisms.

He said the talks also revealed deep divisions over the state of the international order, pointing to doubts about whether Western countries still share the same values and play by the same rules.

"At the beginning of the conference, I referred to our Munich Security Report, which says that our international system is under destruction," he said, noting that some leaders argued the system may already be beyond repair, while others called for "renewal and restoration."

"That shows the spectrum of views about where we are in either repairing, restoring, or actually accepting the fact that we probably may have to rebuild something practically from scratch," Ischinger said.

Turning to Ukraine, he called for providing more weapons, particularly air defense systems, and coordinating tougher sanctions on Russia.

"The question of how this war is going to end is actually an existential question for Europe," he said. "It will determine, in more ways than one, the future of this continent."

"I hope very much that we, as allies and partners, are united and determined to act together to make sure Ukraine can and will prevail," he said.