Il Nuovo Postiglione - Merz, Macron to address first day of Munich security meet

Russia's war against Ukraine, which is set to enter its fifth year this month, will be high on the agenda, alongside efforts by European NATO members to build up their defences.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived Friday in Munich, is due to speak at the annual gathering over the weekend as is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, organisers said.

They are among more than 60 heads of state and government and around 100 foreign and defence ministers who have descended on the southern German city amid high security, with about 5,000 police deployed for the event.

Merz will open the conference at 1:45 pm (1245 GMT), while the French president will close Friday's official programme with a speech at 7:00 pm (1800 GMT), according to the MSC agenda.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will also address the conference over the course of the day.

The meeting comes as relations between Europe and the United States, their traditional allies and guarantors of the continent's security for decades, are under immense pressure.

Since returning to the White House last year, US President Donald Trump has frequently criticised European countries for not sharing enough of the burden on common defence.

Ties plunged further last month when Trump stepped up threats to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, forcing European nations to stand firm in protest.

Rubio will address the conference on Saturday, a year after Vice President JD Vance used the same stage to attack European policies on immigration and free speech, shocking European allies.

H.Zampino--INP