Russia, Iran not invited to Munich Security Conference

Russia and Iran will not be invited to the Munich Security Conference that will take place later next week, the Voice of America reported on Feb. 7, citing Conference Chairperson Christoph Heusgen.

The two countries did not show a willingness to engage in a meaningful dialogue, the chairperson said.

The conference that will take place in Munich, Germany, between Feb. 16-18, is an annual event gathering security and defense leaders from around the world.

This year's agenda is expected to cover Russia's all-out war against Ukraine, which will soon mark its second anniversary and the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

Tehran has been supporting Moscow's war through military supplies but also spread instability in the Middle East, resulting in clashes between Iranian-backed militant groups and Western powers in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.

Heusgen said that President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to the conference, though Ukraine's head of state has not yet confirmed his attendance.

Iran, Russia agree to jointly combat Western sanctions

Moscow and Tehran signed a declaration on jointly combating Western sanctions imposed against the two regimes over their role in the war against Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Dec. 5 at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart.

The Kyiv IndependentDinara Khalilova