Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and German politician Johann Wadephul officially opened the “Ukraine House” at the 62nd Munich Security Conference on Friday, Feb. 13.
The venue will operate through Saturday and serve as a platform for discussions on Ukraine’s security, defense industry cooperation and international partnerships. The conference as a whole is expected to focus on support for Ukraine, air defense and Europe’s long-term security posture.
In posts published on Friday, Sybiha said he met Wadephul at the start of the conference to discuss peace efforts, strengthening Ukraine’s defense and resilience, and increasing pressure on Moscow.
Sybiha thanked Germany for what he described as strong leadership in supporting Ukraine, noting that Berlin’s defense assistance this year amounts to a record €11.5 billion ($13.6 billion), while winter energy support packages totaled €75 million ($88.9 million).
The two also discussed expanding bilateral cooperation and advancing Ukraine’s accession to the EU, which Sybiha described as an element of long-term security guarantees.
Wadephul said Germany is working on a new, 20th package of sanctions against Russia and pledged continued support for Ukraine.
Speakers at the official opening of the Ukraine House included Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Victor Pinchuk, founder of the Yalta European Strategy (YES), Munich Security Conference Chair Wolfgang Ischinger, and Chief Executive of the Munich Security Conference Benedikt Franke. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and representatives of Ukraine’s Armed Forces also addressed the event.
On the sidelines of the conference, Sybiha also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
According to Sybiha’s post on X, the discussions focused on developing trade ties based on respect for territorial integrity, peace efforts to end the war and China’s potential role in facilitating a settlement.
He said he briefed Wang on the battlefield situation and Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including damage affecting Chinese companies operating in the country.
Sybiha thanked Beijing for providing an additional humanitarian energy assistance package and invited Wang to visit Ukraine, while also acknowledging an invitation to visit China.
Earlier this week, EU defense ministers met in Brussels to discuss continued military assistance to Kyiv, including additional air defense systems such as Patriot and NASAMS batteries. The talks also addressed cooperation on defense innovation, including drone production and emerging military technologies.
On Thursday, EU leaders held an informal summit in Belgium focused on economic competitiveness and reducing strategic vulnerabilities, before attention shifted to Munich, where debates are expected to concentrate on transatlantic security ties and Europe’s ability to deter further Russian escalation.