US Vice President JD Vance pledged that Washington sought to secure a "lasting" peace as he held a first meeting with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss Donald Trump's push for a deal with Russia.
The talks in Munich were seen as a key moment for Ukraine as it tries to keep US on its side after Mr Trump stunned allies by announcing peace efforts with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
"We want to achieve a durable, lasting peace, not the kind of peace that's going to have Eastern Europe in conflict just a couple years down the road," Mr Vance said as the meeting wrapped up.
He said "good conversations" had been had with Mr Zelensky about how they could reach that goal, and they would have more talks "in the days, weeks and months to come".
Mr Zelensky also hailed a "good conversation", saying the encounter with Mr Vance was "our first meeting, not last, I'm sure".
"We are ready to move as quickly as possible towards a real and guaranteed peace," Mr Zelensky wrote later on X, adding that an envoy from Washington would visit Kyiv.
I had a good meeting with U.S. Vice President @JDVance. I am grateful to him and his entire team for the discussion, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy General Keith Kellogg also taking part.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 14, 2025
Our teams will continue to work on the document. We addressed many… pic.twitter.com/zYc15vqIz8
Mr Trump rattled Ukraine and its European allies on Wednesday by agreeing to launch peace talks in his first publicly announced call with Mr Putin since returning to office.
The dramatic thaw in relations sparked fears Ukraine could be left out in the cold after nearly three years battling against Russia's invasion.
US officials have insisted that Mr Zelensky will be involved in negotiations - and the Ukrainian leader said he would be prepared to sit down with Mr Putin after agreeing a "common plan" with Mr Trump.
"Only in this case I'm ready to meet," Mr Zelensky told the Munich Security Conference before seeing Mr Vance.
Mr Vance said ahead of the meeting that the United States was prepared to pressure Russia, adding that Europe should "of course" be at the table.
But he also told Europe to "step up" on bolstering its own defence to allow Washington to focus on threats elsewhere in the world.
US officials have sent mixed messages over Washington's strategy after Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth appeared to rule out Ukraine joining NATO or retaking all of its territory.
Trump's phone number
That has sparked major worries in Kyiv and Europe that Ukraine could be forced into a bad deal that leaves the continent facing an emboldened Putin.
But Mr Vance told The Wall Street Journal that Mr Trump would put everything "on the table" in potential talks, and that Washington could even use "military leverage" against Russia to force a deal.
He did not give more away in a keenly awaited keynote speech, as he avoided addressing the war in Ukraine and focused instead on scolding Europe over immigration and free speech.
Saudi Arabia, after being named by Mr Trump as a likely venue for a meeting with Mr Putin, said it would welcome holding any talks between the two leaders.
Mr Zelensky appeared to play down fears that Mr Trump was leaving Kyiv out in the cold, saying the US president had given him his personal number when they spoke.
"If he will choose our side, and if he will not be in the middle, I think he will pressure and he will push Putin to stop the war," Mr Zelensky said.
In a bid to keep Washington close, Kyiv has held talks over granting access to its rare mineral deposits in return for future US security support.
European allies, who along with the US are Ukraine's strongest backers, demanded that they too be included in negotiations that will impact their continent's security.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned that forcing Ukraine into a bad deal would harm US interests.
"I believe that by working together, we can deliver that just and lasting peace," she said.
'New sheriff in town' in US, Vance tells Munich security conference
Mr Vance said there is a "new sheriff in town" in Washington with Mr Trump, in a combative speech to conference.
"There is a new sheriff in town and under Donald Trump's leadership we may disagree with your views but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square. Agree or disagree," Mr Vance said.
He also urged Europe to spend more on defence.
In his keynote address to the conference, Mr Vance lambasted the European Union for its regulation of hate speech and misinformation, which he said amounted to censorship.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that he disagrees with Mr Vance's assessment of European democracy.
"I would not agree with the Vice President in respect of his analysis of the robustness of European democracy," he said on RTÉ's Six One, live from Munich.
"I think European democracy is strong ... Over the last week he's been engaging with the European Commission and so forth.
"Today he laid out his stall in respect of his perspective. It's not one I would share."
European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Mr Vance's speech felt as if the US was "trying to pick a fight" with Europe.
"Listening to that speech, they try to pick a fight with us and we don't want to a pick a fight with our friends," Ms Kallas said at the Munich event.
She added that allies should be focusing on bigger threats like Russia's aggression on Ukraine.
Ms Kallas has invited foreign ministers from the bloc attending the conference to meet on Sunday to discuss relations with the Trump administration and the war in Ukraine.
"The aim of the meeting will be to share information and take stock of the latest contacts with United States Administration representatives and with Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference," said the invitation to the meeting, which was seen by Reuters.
Chernobyl strike
While Europe nervously monitors the US stance on Ukraine, there is little ambiguity on Mr Trump's determination to get Europe to spend more on its defence.
Fears that Mr Vance could announce a major US troop reduction in Europe did not materialise, but he repeated warnings that Washington needs to focus more on other parts of the globe.
Amid the diplomatic flurry in Munich, Mr Zelensky said that back on the ground in Ukraine a Russian drone had struck a cover built to contain radiation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, though he added that radiation levels were normal.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 133 drones across the country overnight, including attack drones, targeting northern regions of the country where the Chernobyl plant lies.
Mr Zelensky said the attack was evidence that "Putin is definitely not preparing for negotiations - he is preparing to continue deceiving the world".
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