Zelenskyy to Vance: Ukraine wants ‘security guarantees’ as Trump seeks to end Ukraine-Russia war – The Associated Press
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday during a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance that his country wants “security guarantees” before any talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country needed security guarantees in the absence of NATO membership, warning Russian leader Vladimir Putin could be preparing to go to war against the alliance next year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday he doesn’t know of any meetings between Ukrainian and Russian officials at the Munich Security Conference, as referenced by US President Donald Trump.
Ukraine has offered to strike a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump for continued American military aid in exchange for developing Ukraine’s mineral industry, which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth elements that are essential for many kinds of technology. (AP video: Srdjan Nedeljkovic)
US Vice President JD Vance on Friday met with Britain’s foreign secretary, Germany’s president and NATO’s Secretary-General on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, attends a meeting with United States Vice-President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
United States Vice-President JD Vance, second right, and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
FILE -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greet each other in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
United States Vice-President JD Vance, second right, and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, third right, meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, third left, speaks during a bilateral meeting with United States Vice-President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
FILE -Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)
United States Vice-President JD Vance addresses the audience during the Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
United States Vice-President JD Vance, right, and Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy pose for photographers during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Members of the Federal Council pay tribute to the deceased former Federal President Horst Köhler following the attack in Munich, Friday, Feb.14, 2025. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)
United States Vice-President JD Vance, right, shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Police officers stand in front of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof before the 61st Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)
United States Vice-President JD Vance, right, and Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy shake hands during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
MUNICH (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that his country wants “security guarantees” before any talks with Russia, as the Trump administration presses both countries to find a quick endgame to the three-year war.
Shortly before sitting down with Vice President JD Vance for highly anticipated talks at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy said he will only agree to meet in-person with Russian leader Vladimir Putin after a common plan is negotiated with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The roughly 40-minute meeting between Vance and Zelenskyy produced no major announcements detailing the way out of the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. Zelenskyy made a plaintive statement about the state of play.
“We want peace very much,” Zelenskyy said. “But we need real security guarantees.”
Vance, for his part, said the Trump administration is committed to finding a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.
“Fundamentally, the goal is, as President Trump outlined it, we want the war to come t
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