Ukraine needs to be provided with all necessary weapons, otherwise it will cease to exist - Chairman of Munich Conference

He said this in an interview with Der General-Anzeiger Bonn and Die Rheinische Post, as quoted by Deutsche Welle.

According to Heusgen, Kyiv should be provided with all the necessary military means for self-defence, "otherwise Ukraine will cease to exist".

"I very much hope that the planned support with US-made F16 fighter jets will be provided so that Ukraine can better defend itself against Russian aggression in the air," the Munich Conference chairman said.

"Germany, which does not have F16s, could help with logistics and training," he added.

According to him, Kyiv's membership in NATO is the best insurance "for the huge investments that will be needed to rebuild" the country. At the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, Ukraine needs to be given real guarantees of accession. 

At the same time, it is impossible to accept it into the Alliance now, as this would mean NATO's intervention in the war.

• In January, Heusgen expressed his belief that negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine were impossible.