US Vice President JD Vance meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice President JD Vance have met after tensions flared in the wake of the Trump administration going to Russia first as they attempt to broker a ceasefire.
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US Vice President JD Vance has pledged that Washington sought to secure a “lasting” peace as he held a first meeting with Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss Donald Trump’s push for a deal with Moscow.
The talks in Munich on the sidelines of the German hosted security conference were seen as a key moment for Kyiv as it tries to keep Washington on its side after 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 Zelensky about how they could reach that goal, and they would have more talks “in the days, weeks and months to come”.
Mr Zelenskyy also hailed a “good conversation”, saying the encounter with 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 Zelenskyy wrote later on X, adding that an envoy from Washington would visit Kyiv.
Mr Trump rattled Ukraine and its European allies on Wednesday by agreeing to launch peace talks in his first publicly announced call with 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 Moscow’s invasion.
US officials have insisted that Mr Zelenskyy will be involved in negotiations - and the Ukrainian leader said he would be prepared to sit down with Putin after agreeing a “common plan” with Trump.
“Only in this case I’m ready to meet,” Mr Zelenskyy 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.
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PUTIN WANTS ‘WAR AGAINST NATO’: ZELENSKYY
Mr Zelenskyy told reporters while he too wants peace, Ukrainian intelligence suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin would not stop at Ukraine.
“This is what I’ve got from intelligence. I think that he is preparing the war against NATO countries next year,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
The meeting came hours after a Russian drone attacked the former Chernobyl power plant which was the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has classified the Chernobyl drone attack as a war crime and have started criminal proceedings.
The drone damaged the concrete shell of power unit, but so far radiation levels have remained stable.
“For maximum damage, this attack drone was equipped with a high-explosive warhead,” the SBU wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor’s Office said it has launched an investigation.
Mr Vance took the opportunity to address the conference where he suggested Russian aggression was a lesser threat than the one European nations posed to one another.
“The threat that I worry most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, not China, it’s not any other external actor,” Mr Vance said.
“What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values.”
The American VP went on to outline the decision by Romania’s constitutional court to annul the country’s presidential election last year.
The annulment was made based on evidence of Russian interference in the outcome.
Mr Zelenskyy also met with Keith Kellogg – Mr Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
Mr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, gave a statement on his behalf following that meeting which he said was focused on “joint efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
“Putin never plays by the rules. Russians respect only force and despise those who do not use it,” Mr Yermak said on Telegram.
“Any agreements without strong Russian coercion will not work – control over Ukraine remains the basis of the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions.”
He added it is “our common duty to make sure that the aggressor pays a real price for everything it has done.”
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also spoke out, praising Mr Trump’s administration for their “realism” regarding the conflict.
Earlier this week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said it was not “practical” for Ukraine to join NATO.
Mr Hegseth added it was an “unrealistic objective” for Ukraine to return to its borders before Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Mr Trump, speaking in the Oval Office after a call with Putin, similarly said that was an “unlikely” ambition but that “some of it will come back”.
“It seems to me that this is more a manifestation of realism,” Ms Zakharova said.
Originally published as US Vice President JD Vance meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
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