"The emotional level of Munich in 2025 can only be compared to that of Munich in 2022. I remember that trip just before the full-scale invasion. At that time, everyone was urging President [Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy] not to go, just as they later urged him to leave Kyiv. And nobody believed in Ukraine, in our ability to withstand the blow. [...] This time, like three years ago, Ukraine found itself in the center of a geopolitical storm," he wrote.
The Ukrainian diplomat believes that the interlocutors of Ukrainians and "some foreign media" do not fully understand Ukraine.
"After these years of resisting full-scale Russian aggression, we cannot be frightened by anything anymore. And President Zelenskyy cannot be intimidated either. Having endured such pressure over these three years, he will not be shaken by any other pressure," emphasized Sibiga.
According to him, at the conference in Munich, influenced by the statements of representatives from the new U.S. administration, which "worried everyone in Ukraine and abroad," a "historic process" was unfolding that "diplomats felt behind closed doors."
"The key revelation of Munich 2025 was the new strength of Europe. It was truly a moment of truth for Europeans. Participating in some of the negotiations, I realized that I hadn't seen such expressions on the faces of some of our European partners since 2022. They showed a mix of outrage, shock, but also readiness for action. We used the negotiations during this special time precisely to truly awaken Europe. To channel the outrage and shock into concrete actions to strengthen both ourselves and them. Because the security of Ukraine and Europe is indivisible. And I feel that we managed this together with our partners," stated Sibiga.
In the opinion of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, "Europe has really begun to act, no matter how difficult it has been for them, and this has influenced the overall dynamics and shifted the center of gravity."
"We felt that we are not alone. And we are grateful to our European partners for their support and leadership. We hope that this will continue. Because regardless of the circumstances, we need a more united and self-confident, proactive, and decisive Europe. We need self-sufficiency. Ukrainian and, in general, European," he emphasized.
Sibiga writes that "a new era is now beginning."
"It should be an era of alliance with an awareness of the importance and role of each, respecting the contribution of everyone. Europe will take on more responsibility. But the role of the United States remains very significant. Without the U.S., neither security guarantees nor long-term stability will 'take off.' Therefore, we must strengthen transatlantic unity based on mutual respect and fair burden-sharing," explained the diplomat.
He assured that "Ukraine is already playing an important role and bears a very significant part of the security burden."
"We believe that this should define our key role in the security architecture, which is now gradually taking on clearer outlines. We are interested in equal and effective cooperation between both sides of the Atlantic. And by the way, this is the biggest fear of the Russians, that it will end not only with a new strength of the U.S. but also with a new strength of Europe. Everything is heading in that direction," Sibiga believes.
He urged not to underestimate Ukraine and not to overestimate the aggressor state, Russia.