Around 60 heads of state and government are due to gather in Munich, Germany on Friday for an annual security conference to discuss international conflicts, geopolitical challenges, and transatlantic relations.
The 61st Munich Security Conference comes at an important time of change after a new US administration took office last month and with a new cycle of the European legislature in Brussels and German parliamentary elections set to follow just a week after the conference.
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 the conference.
Around 150 ministers from around the world, including the foreign ministers of G7 countries, are also expected to take part in the forum for debating international security policy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US Vice President JD Vance and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, will be among the top officials attending the three-day high-level conference.
However, Russian government officials have not been invited, continuing the trend since the beginning of the war in Ukraine nearly three years ago.
In addition to expected intense talks on the Ukraine war, the conference will also address the Middle East crisis, Syria’s political process, conflicts in Africa and tensions in Southeast Asia.
Speaking at a press conference Monday in Berlin, the chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, said: “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.”
‘Global order shifting from US-led unipolarity toward multipolarity’
According to a new 151-page report by the Munich Security Conference, today’s world is being shaped by “multi-polarization” — as US hegemony declines, new emerging powers are growing more influential on key global issues.
The Munich Security Report 2025, released ahead of the conference, said the world is entering an era of heightened tensions and uncertainty as it shifts from US-led unipolarity toward multipolarity.
According to the authors, multi-polarization is not only evident in the growing influence of emerging powers but also in widening ideological divides, as liberal values lose their dominance both within nations and across the global system.
It also suggests that Trump’s return to the White House could accelerate this shift, signaling the end of “Pax Americana.”
The conference will begin on Friday with an opening speech by 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 European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.
Along with hundreds of decision-makers and opinion leaders from different regions of the world, World Health Organization (WHO) Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi are expected to attend the talks.
Syria’s new Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani will also attend the conference for the first time.
On Friday, the conference’s main program will start with a focus on global security challenges, including global governance, democratic resilience, and climate security.
On Saturday, debates will take place on the state of the international order as well as regional conflicts and crises. The future of the transatlantic partnership will also be a focus.
The conference will wrap up with discussions on Europe’s role in the world.
