News Feed

Zelensky, Vance expected to meet at Munich Security Conference

2 min read
Zelensky, Vance expected to meet at Munich Security Conference
Then-Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance participates in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on Oct. 1, 2024, in New York City. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Editor's note: The article was updated with a confirmation from the Presidential Office.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Vice President JD Vance may meet during the Munich Security Conference later this week, the Presidential Office confirmed for the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 9.

The news comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump's push for a quick resolution of Russia's all-out war against Ukraine that nears its three-year mark.

The U.S. delegation to the top European security conference, taking place between Feb. 14 and 16, will also include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg.

Though the details of the expected Vance-Zelensky meeting have not been disclosed, Kellogg previously said that U.S. officials would talk in Munich about Trump's "goal to end the bloody and costly war in Ukraine."

The retired general later denied media reports that he was planning to unveil Trump's strategy for ending the war during the event.

On Feb. 7, the U.S. president revealed he aims to meet Zelensky in Washington the following week. He also recently said that the U.S. wants access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for aid. Zelensky has responded that Kyiv is open to mining deals with partners.

Trump has also allegedly spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war. The U.S. president told the New York Post he had a concrete plan to end the war, adding, "I hope it’s fast. Every day, people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing."

‘We need to recoup those costs’ — Mike Waltz on future of US aid to Ukraine
U.S. aid to Kyiv “is going to be a partnership with the Ukrainians in terms of their rare earths, their natural resources, and their oil and gas, and also buying ours,” Trump’s national security adviser said on Feb. 9.
Article image
Avatar
Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

Read more
News Feed
 (Updated:  )

"I don't know if it’s gonna affect Russia, because he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) wants to obviously probably keep the war going, but we're gonna put tariffs and various things," U.S. President Donald Trump said.

Show More