Christoph Heusgen became too emotional and cut short his closing remarks at the event Christoph Heusgen delivering his closing remarks at the 2025 Munich Security Conference. © Munich Security Conference
The chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) wept over the need to preserve the “rules-based order,” while delivering his closing remarks to the event on Sunday.
Former German ambassador to the US, Christoph Heusgen, stepped down as MSC chair and handed the role to former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. In his final address on Sunday, Heusgen acknowledged the impact of explosive comments made by US Vice President J.D. Vance and lamented “We must fear that our common value base is no longer so common.”
Vance criticized EU and UK politicians for upholding “old entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet era words like misinformation and disinformation,” accusing them of failing to respond to the constituents. He warned that if this trend continues, “there is nothing America can do for you.”
“It is clear that our rules-based International order is under pressure,” Heusgen stated, noting that while this order is “easy to destroy… it’s much harder to rebuild.” He urged Western officials to remain committed and praised Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky as a defender of the Western way of life.
Christoph Heusgen delivering his closing remarks at the 2025 Munich Security Conference. © Munich Security Conference
As Heusgen spoke about the perceived decline of the world order, his emotions nearly brought him to tears, which led him to cut the speech short. The audience responded with a standing ovation.
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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed Heusgen’s speech as the climax of a “kids’ party at a mental ward.” She took issue with the historic parallels drawn by several EU officials between the current situation and the 1938 Munich Agreement, where the UK and France acquiesced to Nazi Germany’s annexation of Czechoslovakia.
The EU’s message was that appeasement of Adolf Hitler was a grave error, and similarly, there should be no “appeasement” of Russian President Vladimir Putin — a sentiment Heusgen encapsulated by stating: “Putin smells weakness; he only reacts to strength.”
Zakharova’s reminded readers on Monday that Putin had famously cautioned the 2007 Munich Security Conference about the dangers of NATO expansion and disregarding other nations’ interests.
The administration of US President Donald Trump aims to swiftly end the Ukraine conflict, ostensibly by getting European countries to manage security after a truce with Russia is established. EU officials have criticized Washington for seemingly sidelining Kiev and Brussels in its discussions with Moscow.
