Munich correction: US ready for talks with Russia on Ukraine

US Vice-President J.D. Vance is ready to come to Russia for talks on Ukraine. He told Izvestiya at the Munich Security Conference, which started in the Bavarian capital on 14 February. The Russian Foreign Ministry said there are no Russian representatives at the forum, as Moscow has not been invited there since 2022, the Foreign Ministry said. Earlier, Trump said that officials from Russia, the United States and Ukraine should be expected to meet at the event. In Europe, meanwhile, fear that the settlement process will take place without their participation. On the need for the participation of Europeans in the negotiations, in particular, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius spoke out. What happened on the first day of the Munich conference - in the material of "Izvestia".

The first day of the Munich Conference

The morning of February 14 in Munich was cold and overcast. It snowed in the city, located in southern Germany. And although the thermometer showed only -1, it felt like a real Russian winter had enveloped the Bavarian capital. Germans, accustomed to warm European winters, as if decided to wait it out and came later than their colleagues from other countries. One of the first to arrive were representatives of the Ukrainian media. Interestingly, they spoke to each other in Russian.

However, their desire to come early was justified. Among the first to arrive at the conference site were Volodymyr Zelensky and the head of his office Andriy Yermak. Before them, at about 9 a.m., Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov arrived at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel. The former head of the country's Foreign Ministry, Dmytro Kuleba, also came to the Bavarian capital. As recently as last year, he was in Munich in the status of minister. He refused to give Izvestiya a comment, however, specifying that he was not involved in any peace talks.

Ukraine and the prospects for conflict resolution were once again at the center of attention at the conference. However, its participants preferred not to talk about their expectations and forecasts. Their fears are generally clear: another meeting of Western allies risked a real blow to the supporters of maintaining a hard line against Russia and increasing military aid to Ukraine.

After the change of administration in the United States, the rhetoric of the American authorities has changed. US President Donald Trump confirmed that he did not see any possibility for Ukraine to be in NATO, given Russia's position. And the new head of the Pentagon called to recognize that the return of Ukraine to the pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic goal. At the conference, US Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed to Izvestia that he is ready to come to Russia for talks on Ukraine.

- Of course! - Vance replied, heading to the Bayerischer Hof building.

On February 12, for the first time since the beginning of the SWO, a phone conversation between the Russian and US presidents took place. On the eve of the conference, Donald Trump announced contacts in Munich between representatives of Russia and Ukraine. However, later the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that there were no Russian officials at the Munich conference. At the same time, the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitriy Peskov, did not disclose whether Russia and the USA were planning contacts on Ukraine.

- We have no news for you on the topic of the Ukrainian settlement, we have nothing to report so far," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Ukrainian conflict settlement

The central event of the first day of the conference was the talks between Volodymyr Zelensky and JD Vance. Although their meeting took place, it was not without problems. The American side took time to finalize the draft agreement on minerals and shifted the time of the talks. The US media reported that Zelensky refused to sign a document giving Washington rights to 50% of Ukraine's future mineral resources. Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg and Andriy Yermak conducted the talks.

- Our teams will continue to work on the document (agreement on natural resources - Ed.). We have addressed many key issues and look forward to General Kellogg for further meetings and a deeper assessment of the situation on the ground - said Vladimir Zelensky.

The Ukrainian authorities are still in a mild shock from the statements made by top US officials in recent days and the conversation between the Russian and American leaders. At the same time, the Ukrainian position remains unchanged: Kiev still demands NATO membership.

At a briefing during the Munich conference, Zelensky said that he did not see that the U.S. had any ready-made plan to end the conflict. .

It is too early to talk about the start of the negotiation process on the Ukrainian settlement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Despite the recent comprehensive dialog between the leaders of the Russian Federation and the United States, the activation of contacts between the parties at the highest level has only just begun. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, by the way, noted that Russia expects during these contacts to receive clarifications about Vice President Vance's words about "military levers" of pressure on Moscow. The Kremlin spokesman also emphasized that Russia has no plans to rejoin the Group of Eight (G8) and is interested in continuing its work in the Group of Twenty (G20). Earlier, Donald Trump spoke in favor of Moscow's return to the G8.

- The U.S. is not our friend, they pursue an absolutely pragmatic policy, and most likely there will be no warming of relations," said Dmitry Novikov. - Confrontation will continue, as will the arms race. Moreover, tension points may appear in other regions of the world. It's just that at this particular moment Washington believes that the United States has gotten what it could out of the Ukrainian crisis. Further involvement in it is inexpedient, first of all for economic reasons.

It is expected that during the forum, the US Vice President will announce the mass withdrawal of US troops from Europe, the media reported. At the same time, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced plans to deploy more military personnel in Poland, as "the contours of Ukraine's borders remain uncertain." He also admitted Europe's participation in the negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement, but did not explain in what status.

Europe's role in resolving the conflict in Ukraine

Europe fears that European states may be excluded from the negotiation process on Ukraine. It is possible that the European Union's fears are growing because of a possible reduction in military and financial aid from the United States. In such a case, the costs of further support for Kiev may increase, including at the expense of the social sector.

- The call between President Trump and Putin makes it clear that they are talking to each other. That is why we insist that the Europeans sit down at the negotiating table, also in the interests of the future world order after the peace agreement. We'll see who it will be, but without Germany it's unlikely that anything will work out," the head of the German Defense Ministry Boris Pistorius told Izvestia.

At the same time, the minister admitted that there are no direct channels for negotiations between Russia and Germany, and they remain at the working level. It is noteworthy that during her speech at the conference the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen did not deviate from the former EU line - "peace through strength". Nevertheless, European countries see the need for a diplomatic settlement.

- We see the strong political will of the two presidents, Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin, the will to find a peaceful solution based on this strong democracy. This is the most important thing, because it is very difficult to find a military solution to the conflict. Finally, we need to use all the tools of diplomacy," Bulgarian President Rumen Radev told Izvestia.