Amid fears that the US might hold talks with Russia on Ukraine without Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would prefer a joint plan with Washington before any peace talks commence.
Zelensky also described it as “not very pleasant” that US President Donald Trump phoned Russian leader Vladimir Putin first before him, while he was under the assumption that Trump wished to talk to both together.
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Zelensky is set to meet US Vice President JD Vance on Friday to discuss Trump’s rare earth proposal during the Munich Security Conference. He is also set to meet US Ukraine-Russia envoy Keith Kellogg and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump and Putin’s phone call was on Wednesday, with Trump describing it as “lengthy and productive.” Trump subsequently called his separate conversations with Zelensky and Putin “great talks.”
Following the phone call, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said work is underway to establish talks between Trump and Putin, with Trump hinting he would meet Putin in Saudi Arabia.
Peskov also said it is “premature” for Europe to participate in the talks. Later, Peskov said there would be a “bilateral Russian-American track” and another track that would be “connected to Ukraine’s involvement,” AFP reported.
He said Ukraine would eventually be involved “one way or another” in the peace talks.
Ukraine Prepares Response to $500B US Rare Earth Deal Ahead of Munich VP Meeting
Following the phone calls, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said a deal to end the Ukraine war should not be imposed on Kyiv.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also rejected Ukraine’s NATO bid and called the restoration of Ukraine’s 1991 internationally recognized border “unrealistic” on Wednesday during his visit to Germany, prompting backlash from European leaders.
On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of key European nations – including Germany, France, Poland and Britain – issued a statement saying, “Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations.”
Since Russia launched its full-scale war in 2022, Western countries have maintained that Ukraine’s future should not be decided without Kyiv.
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