Zelensky Says He Needs 'Security Guarantees' from the U.S. Before Negotiating with Putin

The President of Ukraine emphasized during a meeting with Donald Trump's deputy in Munich that before any negotiations with Russia, he needs 'security guarantees' and a joint peace plan from the U.S. The U.S. Vice President also stressed that the Trump administration is committed to ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting between J.D. Vance and his team with Volodymyr Zelensky took place on Friday evening, February 15, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference and ended without an announcement of an agreement regarding Ukraine's mines, according to Reuters. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Keith Klag, Donald Trump's special representative for Russia and Ukraine, and several other American officials were also present at this meeting. Based on a short video released from this meeting, Mr. Vance stated: 'As President Trump has said, our goal is to end the war and stop the killings. But we want a lasting and sustainable peace, not the kind of peace that will embroil Eastern Europe in war again a few years later.' In response, Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that before any negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, he needs 'security guarantees' from the U.S. government. Zelensky also stressed the need for a 'joint peace plan from Ukraine and the U.S.' Reports from Reuters and other news agencies indicated that the review of the agreement regarding U.S. participation in the extraction of strategic minerals in Ukraine was the main topic of Friday's meeting, but this agreement was not signed. According to the Washington Post, the Ukrainian president politely refused to sign the new version of the agreement. The two countries have not yet reacted to this report, and Mr. Zelensky stated that he had a good meeting with Mr. Vance, writing: 'Our teams will continue to work on the document.' Two members of the Ukrainian delegation told Reuters that 'some details' in the agreement still need to be reviewed; it is unclear what the points of contention in the new version were. The initial version of this agreement was provided to Kyiv on February 13, and Ukraine presented its revised version during the meeting with the American team in Munich on Friday. In recent weeks, Donald Trump has stated twice that he is seeking an agreement with Ukraine that would allow the U.S. to share in the exploitation of its rare minerals in exchange for what the United States will do for them. According to Radio Free Europe, dozens of rare minerals that Ukraine has large reserves of are considered vital for the U.S. economy and military affairs. On Friday, the Ukrainian president also emphasized at the Munich Security Conference that the only Russian official he is willing to meet is Vladimir Putin, and only when a joint plan is reached with Trump and Europe. He also called for cooperation between Ukraine, Europe, and the U.S. to develop a plan to end Russia's war against his country and stressed that any agreement reached without Ukraine's involvement would not be accepted by him and the Ukrainians. Zelensky also stated in an interview with NBC that Ukraine has very little chance of survival in the war against Russia without U.S. support. In this interview, the full version of which is set to be published on Sunday, he said: 'It will probably be very, very, very difficult; of course, in any difficult situation, there is a chance, but we will have little chance.' Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, invited the foreign ministers of the EU, who are attending the Munich Security Conference, to a meeting on Sunday to discuss relations with the Trump administration and the war in Ukraine. An EU official told Reuters that Kallas's action was prompted by a recent phone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and recent statements by American officials regarding Ukraine. Kallas also wrote on social media that this round of the Munich Security Conference is taking place at the 'most important moment' in contemporary history. She added: 'It is up to us how we support Ukraine. Any peace agreement without us will not work because you need Europeans and Ukrainians to implement it.' On Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky also met with Keith Klag, Donald Trump's special representative for Russia and Ukraine. The three-day Munich meeting was an opportunity for many European leaders to meet and discuss with senior officials of Donald Trump's new administration, including Marco Rubio, Keith Klag, and Pete Hegseth.