Vance, Zelensky meet for talks about ending war in Ukraine

Vice President Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday to continue the Trump administration’s conversations about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Presidential Envoy for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg.

“Fundamentally, the goal is, as President Trump outlined it, we want the war to come to a close, we want the killing to stop, but 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,” Vance said, sitting across from Zelensky at a table.

The meeting took place on the sideline of the Munich Security Conference.

“It’s important for us to get together and start to have the conversations that are going to be necessary to bring this thing to a close. That’s all I’m going to say for now, because I want to preserve the optionality here for the negotiators and our respective teams to bring this thing to a responsible close,” the vice president added.

Vance said that there have been “good conversations” about how to accomplish an end to the war and Zelensky agreed.

“We have good conversation today, our first meeting, not last, I’m sure,” the Ukrainian president said.

Earlier on Friday, Vance gave remarks at the conference and did not talk about the conflict in Ukraine. He focused his remarks, which were his first on the international stage, on accusing European leaders of stifling opposing viewpoints.

President Trump spoke earlier this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said the two agreed to “start negotiations immediately” about the war in Ukraine. He spoke with Zelensky later that day and the Ukrainian president said Thursday that it was “not pleasant” for Trump to call Putin first.

Democrats and European officials have accused Trump of making major concessions to Putin before negotiations begin, and Trump on Wednesday declined to say whether Russia and Ukraine were equal players in the talks.