The 2026 Keynote Forum will address one of the deepest challenges to contemporary security - the systematic manipulation and erosion of truth that accompany Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine and the wider democratic world. It will explore how the loss of truth undermines human dignity, civic trust, and the moral coherence of political life, while also examining the ethical, religious, and cultural resources needed to rebuild a truthful and just order. Drawing insights from theology, ethics, philosophy, and political thought, the symposium aims to reclaim truth, integrity, and resilience as strategic foundations of European and global security.
The forum is part of an expert symposium serie which is organized by the Ludwig Maximilian University (Munich), Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv), and the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA) with the topic of “Moral and Religious Dimensions of Security” ahead of the Munich Security Conference.
The open evening will take place at the LMU Munich on February 11, 2026 (Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1).
***Please note that the working language will be English.***
Greetings
Prof. Dr. Matthias Tschöp – President of Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich
Dr. Taras Dobko - Rector of Ukrainian Catholic University, Lviv
Dr. Benedikt Franke - Vice-Chairman and CEO of the Munich Security Conference
Keynotes
Prof. Dr. Karl Schlögel (Berlin)
Expert in Eastern European history;
Recipient of the 2026 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade
Maksym Butkevych (Kyiv)
Ukrainian human rights activist and journalist;
Recipient of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize 2025
Discussion
Cardinal Dr. Reinhard Marx
Archbishop of Munich and Freising
Prof. Dr. Katrin Boeckh
Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, Regensburg
Prof. Dr. Regina Elsner
Ecumenical Institute, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Münster
Moderator
Dr. Franziska Davies
Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam, co-president of the German-Ukrainian Society
Music
Katharina Farbova (Clarinet), Quirin Vogel (Piano)
Followed by: Reception & time for discussion