Zelensky arrives at Munich Security Conference for talks with European, US officials

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 13, where he is set to hold multiple bilateral and multilateral meetings with European leaders and potentially U.S. officials.

"On the agenda is the first joint Ukrainian-German drone production enterprise, as well as bilateral and multilateral meetings with partners," Zelensky said upon arrival.

"We need more of our joint production, more of our resilience, more coordination and effectiveness of our shared security architecture in Europe."

The annual gathering comes as diplomatic efforts to end Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine intensify, with the U.S. working to advance trilateral talks involving Kyiv and Moscow.

The next round of negotiations is scheduled for next week.

Nearly 50 heads of state and government have confirmed attendance at this year's conference. Germany is represented by a large federal delegation led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Zelensky is expected to meet with Merz, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and exiled Iranian dissident Reza Pahlavi, among others.

The U.S. delegation is led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived ahead of the event and is scheduled to address the conference on Feb. 14.

Rubio said on Feb. 12 that a meeting with Zelensky is likely but has not yet been finalized.

"The Munich Security Conference will once again serve as a crucial platform for global dialogue on key issues in international security policy," conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said.

Often described as a "transatlantic family meeting," the conference serves as a forum for high-level decision-makers to debate pressing global security challenges.

At last year's conference, U.S. Vice President JD Vance drew attention for a speech sharply criticizing the EU and questioning whether the U.S. and Europe still share a common vision of democracy.

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