Department of Research, Studies and International News15-02-2025

US Vice President JD Vance pledged Friday 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 were seen as a key moment for Kyiv as it tries to keep Washington on its side after Trump stunned allies by announcing truce 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,” Vance said as the meeting wrapped up.

He said “good conversations” had been had with Zelenskyy about how they could reach that goal, and they would have more talks “in the days, weeks and months to come.”

Zelensky 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,” Zelenskyy later wrote on X, adding that an envoy from Washington would visit Kyiv.

Trump rattled Ukraine and its European allies on Wednesday by agreeing to launch ceasefire talks in his first publicly an-nounced 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 Moscow’s in-vasion.

“We will have low, low chance to survive without support of the United States,” Zelenskyy said in a clip from an NBC inter-view, which will be aired on full Sunday.

US officials have insisted that Zelenskyy will be involved in negotiations — and the Ukrainian leader said he would be pre-pared to sit down with Putin after agreeing a “common plan” with Trump.

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” bolstering its own defense to allow Washington to focus on threats elsewhere in the world.

Trump’s phone number

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.

That has sparked major worries in Kyiv and Europe that Ukraine could be forced into a bad deal that leaves the continent fac-ing an emboldened Putin.

But Vance told the Wall Street Journal that Trump would put everything “on the table” in potential talks, and that Washington could even use “military leverage” against Russia to force a deal.

He did not give more away in a keenly awaited keynote speech, which mostly focused on scolding Europe over immigration and free speech.

Saudi Arabia, after being named by Trump as a likely venue for a meeting with Putin, said it would welcome holding any talks between the two leaders.

Zelenskyy appeared to play down fears that Trump was cutting out Kyiv, saying the US president had given him his personal number when they spoke.

European allies, who along with Washington are Ukraine’s strongest backers, demanded they be included in negotiations that will impact their continent’s security.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he assured Zelenskyy that it is “Ukrainians alone who can drive the discussions for a solid and lasting peace” with Russia.

Zelensky said he had discussed with Macron “many important issues, including security guarantees and specific proposals from France.”

In a bid to keep Washington close, Kyiv has held talks over granting access to its rare mineral deposits in return for future US security support.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned that forcing Ukraine into a bad deal would harm US interests.

“I believe that by working together, we can deliver that just and lasting peace,” she said.

Chernobyl strike

While Europe nervously monitors the US stance on Ukraine, there is little ambiguity on Trump’s determination to get Europe to spend more on its defense.

Fears that Vance could announce a major US troop reduction in Europe did not materialize, but he repeated warnings that Washington needed to focus more on other parts of the globe.

On the sidelines of the conference, Vance also met with leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, ac-cording to the German press.

It comes as Vance criticized Germany for blocking the far right from possibly sharing power in upcoming elections.

The conservative candidate and poll favorite Friedrich Merz insists he would not govern with the AfD or actively seek its sup-port.

Amid the diplomatic flurry in Munich, Zelensky said that back on the ground in Ukraine, a Russian drone had struck a cover built to contain radiation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, though he added that radiation levels were normal.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 133 drones across the country overnight, including attack drones, targeting northern regions of the country where the Chernobyl plant lies.

Zelensky said the attack was evidence that “Putin is definitely not preparing for negotiations — he is preparing to continue de-ceiving the world.”