Zelenskyy-Vance Meeting in Munich, Ukraine's Efforts to Avoid Being Outmaneuvered by the US

MUENCHEN, FRIDAY — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Friday morning (14/2/2025). They will discuss issues related to the peace negotiations, which have been rapidly initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, in order to end the Ukraine-Russia war.

However, the meeting was postponed until 5:00 PM local time or 11:00 PM WIB. The meeting between Zelenskyy and Vance is expected, especially by Europe, to provide insights into Trump's ideas on resolving the Ukraine-Russia war over the past three years.

So far, Trump has not detailed his plans beyond claiming he would end the war in six months.

Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone about the future of Ukraine this week. This action has sparked objections from Zelenskyy's side. Kyiv feels undermined by Washington.

In Munich, Zelenskyy said he was ready to talk to Russia only after Ukraine reached an agreement with the US and Europe.

"We are ready for any talks with the US and our allies. If they give us specific answers to our specific requests and a shared understanding of the dangerous nature of Putin, with our unified understanding, we will be ready to talk with Russia," said Zelenskyy, as quoted by France24 media.

On platform X, the Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Andriy Yermak uploaded a photo of a meeting with the US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg.

"Met in Munich with the US President's Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, @generalkellogg. The main topic of our discussion was the coordination of joint efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace. Grateful for the support and willingness to cooperate," tweeted Yermak.

Trump once stated that a peace agreement could make Ukraine surrender Crimea, which was seized by Russia in 2014. He also implied doubts about continuing to provide military aid to Ukraine.

"The war in Ukraine must end. Young people are being killed at an unprecedented rate since World War II. And this is a ridiculous war," Trump told reporters in Washington DC, Thursday (13/2/2025).

Both Trump and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have played down Ukraine’s hopes of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). “I don’t see any way that a country in Russia’s position would allow them to join NATO. I don’t see that happening,” Trump said.

Vance told the Wall Street Journal that the US would attack Moscow if Putin did not agree to a peace deal that guaranteed Kyiv’s long-term independence. “There are economic tools that can have leverage, certainly there are military tools that can have leverage,” Vance added.

When asked if a deal could be completed in Munich, Vance replied, “We’ll see.”

Hours before the Zelenskyy-Vance meeting, a Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said. The Kremlin denied the allegations.

When asked about Trump's claim that US, Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Munich, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no news about a Ukrainian settlement so Russia had nothing to say.

"Following their talks, the leaders of the US and Russia have instructed their aides to establish contact. It will take a few days, and we will inform you afterward," Peskov said.

Russia is not participating in the Munich Security Conference. In a press conference on Friday (2/14), Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia did not receive an invitation. Moreover, she continued, the conference has become a forum that supports the regime in Kyiv.

In early February, Trump asked Ukraine to supply rare earth metals (REEs) to the US as payment for continued US aid to Ukraine during the war. Kyiv was willing to negotiate.

LTJ is a group of 17 elements in nature that are essential for high-tech industries, such as electric vehicles, smartphones and missile systems.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business Network that the Trump administration’s plan to end the Ukraine-Russia war would tie Kyiv’s economy to the United States, with the U.S. bringing “best practices” to privatization.

This week, Bessent visited Kyiv to discuss the U.S. plan. “Part of it starts with linking the Ukrainian economy more to the U.S., and making sure that U.S. taxpayers get a return on the money they invest,” he said.

Ukraine has submitted a draft agreement on LTJ to the US for review, according to two members of Kyiv's delegation in Munich. They said the US side asked for until 5 p.m. to review the agreement.

“The Ukrainian side presented its vision and the US side took a break until 5 p.m. to assess,” one of the sources said.

This week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he hoped to reach a deal on Ukraine's mineral wealth. It would compensate the U.S. for money it has sent to buy weapons for Ukraine's army.

Rubio was supposed to join Vance and Zelenskyy for the meeting in Munich. Rubio's Air Force plane had to return to Washington, D.C., due to mechanical problems en route to Munich. It's unclear if he'll make it in time for the meeting.

So far, Zelenskyy has floated the possibility of deepening Ukraine’s economic ties with Western partners. He has said Ukraine has trillions of dollars worth of mineral reserves, with the largest titanium and uranium reserves in Europe.

“We have mineral resources. This does not mean that we give them to anyone, even to strategic partners. This is about partnership. Put your money in. Invest. Let's develop this together and make money,” Zelenskyy said.

Seeing the developments between the US and Russia, Europe is also anxious. Several heads of state have repeatedly called on Trump to include Ukraine in peace talks.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that only Zelenskyy can negotiate on behalf of his country with Russia to end the war. A peace that is a capitulation would be bad news for everyone, including the US, as reported by the Financial Times, Thursday (2/13/2025).

"The only question at this stage is whether President Putin is genuinely, sustainably and credibly willing to agree to a ceasefire on this basis. After that, it is up to Ukraine to negotiate with Russia," Macron said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday (2/14/2025) also expressed support for Ukraine to join NATO. "We reaffirm the UK's commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to NATO," the prime minister's office said.

On Friday (14/2), the UK imposed sanctions targeting Russian officials, people supporting Russian-owned businesses and two entities linked to Russia's nuclear energy arm, Rosatom.

In Munich, Vance reiterated U.S. demands for NATO to increase its defense budget contributions when he met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Currently, 23 of NATO's 32 member states meet the Western military alliance's target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense.

"NATO is a very important military alliance, and we are a very important part of it. But we want to make sure that NATO is really built for the future, and we think a key part of that is making sure that NATO does a little bit of burden-sharing in Europe, so that the US can focus on some of our challenges in East Asia," Vance said.

Rutte agreed that Europe needed to move forward. “We have to grow in that sense and spend more money,” he said.

French Deputy Foreign Minister Benjamin Haddad said Europe was at a turning point. European security must stop depending on the US. He warned that handing Russia a victory in Ukraine could have repercussions in Asia.

“I don’t think we fully understand the extent to which our world is changing. Both our competitors and our allies are busy accelerating. What’s at stake is not just the interests of Ukraine and Europe. Everyone is going to lose, starting with the US. And I think the US knows that,” Haddad said. (AP/AFP/Reuters)