'Munich spirit' haunts Europe as US pushes Ukraine talks with Russia

MUNICH, Germany — Painful lessons from the appeasement of Nazi Germany eight decades ago hung over a key gathering of European leaders as the United States launches talks with Russia on ending Moscow's war in Ukraine.

As they convened at an annual security conference in Munich that concludes Sunday, a string of top policymakers pointed out the unfortunate parallels with the infamous deal Europe signed with Adolf Hitler in the same German city back in 1938.

The "Munich agreement" struck with European powers allowed Germany to annex part of Czechoslovakia and was seen as a key step towards emboldening the Nazi leader on his path to launching World War II.

Now -- after US President Donald Trump blindsided Kyiv and its European allies by starting talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin -- there were fears that history could be repeating itself.

"I cannot help but ask: have we been here before Czechoslovakia, 1938?" said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

"We have an aggressor at our door, intent on taking land that isn't his, and the negotiators, not us, are already giving away their bargaining chips before the negotiations have even begun."

Kallas said this was "a disastrous tactic, and we are heading full speed towards disaster."

But she insisted that there were some key differences as Ukraine would not "surrender in silence" and Europe was committed to standing firmly by its side.

Czech President Petr Pavel was one of many leaders who insisted that no deal should be negotiated by the United States over the heads of Europe and Ukraine.

"We have to be at the table. Otherwise we would somehow echo the Munich spirit that Czechoslovakia knows about pretty well," he said.

'Never again'

European countries fear that if Ukraine is forced into a bad deal by Washington then that will leave Putin claiming victory and the continent at the mercy of an emboldened Moscow.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk -- whose country was attacked by Hitler in 1939, a year after the fateful Munich accord -- was forthright.

"As a tourist I really like this place. Nice people, perfect beer," he wrote on X.

"As a historian and politician the only thing I can say today is: MUNICH. NEVER AGAIN."

Russia's economy has already been put on a war footing and the country is churning out weaponry at a rate far outstripping that of the West.

Warnings are swirling that if it strikes a deal on Ukraine, then Moscow could be ready to attack a NATO country in the coming years.

"The war in Ukraine is about Russia, it's about Russia's imperial dreams, it's about their wish and their will to take decisions upon European questions, and we cannot allow them to do it," said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

"I dream about peace, of course, I will do anything to support peace -- but I don't believe in appeasement, it was wrong in Munich in 1938 and I think it will be wrong today."

In a bid to ensure they are heard, European powers are scrambling to come up with ways to ensure that any deal Trump strikes does not allow Putin to launch fresh hostilities further down the road.

European leaders are set to meet for a hastily arranged summit in Paris on Monday, with proposals such as sending peacekeepers to Ukraine to patrol any ceasefire on the table.

They are also facing an unavoidable clamour to finally make good on pledges to ramp up their militaries after decades relying on the United States to underpin Europe's security.

The new US administration has sown major concerns as Trump demands NATO countries spend more on their own defence.

Washington has warned it will no longer be primarily focused on the continent's security and may have to shift forces elsewhere to focus on China.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky told the conference that "right now, Ukraine's army, supported by global aid – thank you so much – is holding back Russia".

"But if not us, then who will stop them? Really, Let's be honest –- now we can't rule out the possibility that America might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it."