The 58th Munich Security Conference (MSC 2022) was held from 18 to 20 February 2022 at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was held on a smaller scale than in previous years. It was held under the motto Turning the Tide – Unlearning Helplessness. The event took place amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine. A few days later, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

It was the last security conference moderated by Wolfgang Ischinger. At the conclusion of the event, he handed over the chairmanship of the Munich Security Conference to his successor, Ambassador Christoph Heusgen.

Attendees

Kamala Harris and Olaf Scholz at the 58th Munich Security Conference

Participants included the following political representatives:

For the first time since the end of the Cold War, Russia did not send any high-ranking state representatives to the diplomatic meeting.

Topics

The conference ended four days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The Russia–Ukraine crisis was the dominant topic of discussion. European and transatlantic leaders discussed possible responses to further Russian military action, including sanctions and diplomatic efforts. Josep Borrell stated that the European Union had been supporting Ukraine financially since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. French Defence Minister Florence Parly said that Europe needed to strengthen its defence capabilities. German officials also signalled increased defence spending while continuing to reject arms deliveries to Kyiv. Charles Michel President of the European Council warned Russia of severe sanctions in the event of an invasion.

For the first time, no Russian government representative attended the conference. Participants called on Russia to refrain from invading Ukraine while also stressing that severe economic sanctions would follow any attack. Antony Blinken the United States Secretary of State reiterated the United States' willingness to continue negotiations with Russia. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized Ukraine's sovereignty, while also criticizing further eastward expansion of NATO. In his speech Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized what he described as the international community's hesitation in responding to the threat posed by Russia, and called for stronger support for Ukraine.

The conference also included discussions on broader issues of human security including global health, food insecurity and the role of gender in security policy.

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