Former Ukrainian president will not go to Munich conference: Intelligence concerned about "threats to his life"
Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, leader of the European Solidarity faction, will not attend the Munich Security Conference due to an alleged threat to his life if he travels abroad. Ruslan Stefanchuk, speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament), has declined to sign an order allowing him to leave the country.
Source: Poroshenko at a briefing after a meeting with Stefanchuk on 14 February cited by Interfax-Ukraine
Quote: "Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, for some reason told parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk that as soon as I cross the Ukrainian-Polish border, let alone go to Munich, I, as the fifth president and an opposition leader, will be in mortal danger.
And neither the state security department nor the whole German security system will be able to protect me. The only way to save Poroshenko is not to let him go."
Details: Poroshenko also posted a video of his briefing on Facebook. He described those involved in the current decision as politicians who "have nothing to do" and urged them not to disgrace themselves in front of the international community.
Background: This is not the first time that Poroshenko has been prevented from travelling abroad to participate in international events. On 1 December 2023, border guards did not allow him to go on a trip to Poland and the United States. The politician called it "anti-Ukrainian sabotage".
An updated order by Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk came into force on 1 January 2024, according to which, in order to go on official trips abroad, MPs would need to attach "talking points" from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to their applications for official statements and comments in the international arena.
Stefanchuk later stated that the requirement for MPs to obtain talking points from the Foreign Ministry before travelling abroad was not an attempt to restrict their activities, but rather "to promote the one voice principle in state policy in the international arena".
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