Day one: Key events of Munich Security Conference 2025 (Online)

Key highlights so far

• The official opening is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Kyiv time.
• Speeches today will include those from US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• Yermak meets with Kellogg to discuss his visit to Ukraine.
• US Vice President JD Vance spoke at the conference.

8:25 p.m. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after meeting with the American delegation in Munich, stated his readiness to move as quickly as possible toward real and guaranteed peace.

"Our teams will continue working on the document. We have discussed many key issues and look forward to welcoming General Kellogg in Ukraine for further meetings and a deeper assessment of the situation on the ground," the Ukrainian President wrote on his Telegram channel.

7:55 p.m. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reacted to the speech of US Vice President J.D. Vance. According to her, his statements appear to be an attempt by the US to create tensions with Europe.

"They try to pick a fight with us and we don't want to pick a fight with our friends," she told journalists on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

7:38 p.m. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after meeting with JD Vance, expressed hope that this would not be their last meeting, as, in his words, "there is still much to discuss."

"We need to talk more, to work more. And we need to prepare a plan on how to stop Putin and finish the war. We really want this, but we need real security guarantees, and we will continue our meetings and our work. And we will be very happy to see General Kellogg in Ukraine soon," he said.

7:23 p.m. US Vice President JD Vance, following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that the US seeks to achieve lasting peace.

"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 conflicts a couple of years down the road," he said.

6:45 p.m. Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda at the security conference in Munich.

The leaders discussed defense support, particularly strengthening air defense systems, as well as continuing investments in Ukraine’s production of long-range weapons.

"Special attention was given to coordinating efforts to develop a unified position between Ukraine, Europe, and the US, as well as steps to strengthen our country. Ending the war with a just and lasting peace is a shared goal of all allies," Zelenskyy shared details of the meeting.

The President of Ukraine thanked Lithuania for standing side by side with Ukraine throughout the full-scale Russian invasion and for assisting in all areas.

6:38 p.m. On the sidelines of the Munich Conference, negotiations have begun between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice President J.D. Vance. This was announced by the press secretary of the Ukrainian president, Serhii Nykyforov.

6:03 p.m. During his speech at the MSC panel discussion, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the army of 1.5 million people “a real guarantee of security”.

“These are real security guarantees, real preventive security guarantees, when Putin (Russian leader Vladimir Putin - ed.) will know that he has an army of one and a half million people and Ukraine has an army of one and a half million people. If you want to come and die, be my guest,” the Ukrainian president said.

5:40 p.m. On the sidelines of the Munich conference today, February 14, the President of Ukraine met with a bipartisan delegation of the US Senate.

“We discussed continued military support for Ukraine and the efforts needed to achieve a just peace. The Russian Federation does not want to end the war and continues to escalate global tensions. That is why US military support is crucial for Ukraine. Only in this way can we achieve a just and lasting peace,” Zelenskyy said on X.

The meeting also focused on the partnership between Ukraine and the United States, including joint projects, economic cooperation, and the joint development of critical minerals and rare earth resources.

5:35 p.m. Zelenskyy says he will meet with only one Russian, Putin, but only when he has a joint plan with the US president and Europe.

“I will not meet with Russians, it's not in my plan. I will meet only with one Russian guy - Putin, and only after we have a common plan with Trump, Europe. And we'll sit with Putin and stop the war. Only in this case, I'm ready to meet,” he said.

5:31 p.m. Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirms that US President Donald Trump gave him his phone number.

“He (Trump - ed.) said: 'You can call me anytime you want'... I hope and we count that really President Trump will help us,” he said.

5:26 p.m. US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who is also participating in the panel discussion with President Zelensky, believes that if Ukraine is accepted into NATO, Kremlin leader Putin will go crazy.

“Nobody wants to be provocative. If we put Ukraine in NATO, it will make Putin mad. Well, I think he's mad already...We're worried about making him mad... Make him scared. Make him think twice about what he's gonna do. If you invade that one, we're going crush your economy, we're going put sanctions on you,” he said.

Regarding the peace agreement on Ukraine, Graham says that it should be such an agreement that will stop any initiatives of Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping to seize other states.

5:20 p.m. According to Zelenskyy, today the only alternative to Ukraine's accession to NATO is to make NATO in Ukraine.

“It means that we need to increase our soldiers, our army. Twice. We have 110 brigades... Russia has 220 brigades, real brigades. So they are two times bigger than we for today,” Zelenskyy said.

5:10 p.m. Zelenskyy says the US has never seen or wanted Ukraine to join NATO.

“I never heard we will be in NATO. Never. It's not a question to Trump, to President Trump... That's the question to the police of the United States... But it does not mean that we can't change it,” the President of Ukraine said.

5:05 p.m. Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces plans to sign an agreement with the United States on rare earth metals. He also announced a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance today on the sidelines of the MSC.

4:55 p.m. Zelenskyy says no peace deal will be signed in Munich. According to him, Ukraine needs strong support from Donald Trump.

“A peace agreement cannot be signed in Munich. Because this is Munich. There is no president (of the United States - ed.) here, and we remember what agreements were signed in Munich,” the president said.

He also emphasized that “there is no need to look for mediation between Ukraine and Putin.”

“We need the firm support of a strong country, the United States, a strong President Trump. We need his support and to be on our side. I don't think there can be anything in the middle between us. Because it is not two countries that are at war with each other, but Russia brought the war to our land,” Zelenskyy said.

4:45 p.m. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at the panel Strategic Investment: The Future of US – Ukraine Security Cooperation.

4:25 p.m. JD Vance concluded his speech with the words of Pope John Paul II “Do not be afraid” and added: “We shouldn’t be afraid of our people, even when they express views that disagree with their leadership.”

4:20 p.m. “The organizers of this very conference have banned lawmakers representing populous parties of both left and right from participating in these conversations. Now again. We don't have to agree with everything or anything that people say. But when people represent, when political leaders represent an important consistency, it is incumbent upon us to at least participate in dialog with them,” the US vice president said.

4:10 p.m. Vance criticized European leaders for being afraid of their own voters, saying that if they run away from the will of their own citizens, neither the United States nor they themselves will be able to help their people.

He adds that democracy will not survive if the voices of millions of voters are ignored.

He also criticizes attempts to silence “invalid” voices: “If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg's scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk."

4:04 p.m. The US Vice President speaks about the problem of migration. "There is nothing more urgent than mass migration. Today, almost 1.5 million people living in this country (Germany - ed.) moved here from abroad. This is of course an all-time high. It is a similar number by the way in the United States. Also an all-time high. The number of immigrants who entered the EU from non-EU countries doubled between 2021 and 2022 alone and of course, it's gotten much higher since. And we know the situation did not materialize in a vacuum. It's a result of a series of conscious decisions made by politicians all over the continent and others across the world over the span of a decade," Vance said.

3:55 p.m. Vance emphasizes that the biggest threat he is currently worried about in Europe is not Russia, China, or any other external player. "What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America," he said.

The US vice president criticized EU rules on content moderation, German police for conducting raids against citizens suspected of posting anti-feminist comments online as part of the fight against misogyny on the Internet, and Sweden's plans to convict an activist who participated in the burning of a Quran. Vance mentioned the previous administration of US President Biden, saying that sometimes the loudest voices for censorship come not from Europe, but from the United States.

3:50 p.m. JD Vance says that the Trump administration is very concerned about European security "and believes that we can come to a reasonable settlement between Russia and Ukraine".

3:45 p.m. A speech by US Vice President JD Vance begins.

3:40 p.m. Ursula von der Leyen also notes that the EU is stepping up its efforts to facilitate Ukraine's accession to the Union. A lot has already been done, but again, now is the time to step it up - exemptions for national budgets, a common approach to investment, and accelerating Ukraine's accession to the EU, she says. These are the new goals of the European Union.

3:37 p.m. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen says in her speech that this moment in history is a great challenge, and although there have been many words in recent days, we need to look at what is behind the words.

In the most difficult circumstances, Zelenskyy is preparing peace, she says. Ukraine wants peace more than anyone. We want the horror we have seen over the past three years to never happen again.

The president of the European Commission adds that Russian leader Putin says he wants peace but on his terms.

Defeated Ukraine will weaken Europe, but it will also weaken the United States. This will make challenges in the Pacific region more intense. Authoritarian regimes are watching very closely. They are looking at the choices. Ukraine needs peace through strength, says Ursula von der Leyen.

She emphasized that president Trump has made it clear that the United States is firmly committed. There should be peace through strength.

3:21 p.m. Kyiv time Steinmeier urged European leaders "not to behave like deer caught in the headlights" and to continue to act, not to react passively to the latest statements of the US administration.

He emphasized that European countries are subjects, not objects in the international order, and should not be paralyzed by the flood of statements.

2:47 p.m. On the sidelines of the conference, Zelenskyy meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.

2:38 p.m. The Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2025 has officially begun. MSC Chairman Christoph Heusgen opened it with a welcome speech. In his speech, he emphasized the presence of American and Ukrainian delegations at the conference.

The atmosphere in the Munich Security Conference press center looks like this:

2:14 p.m. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius says it was a mistake to exclude Ukraine's NATO membership from the agenda and to make territorial concessions before the start of negotiations.

2:02 p.m. Yermak reports details of the meeting with Kellogg in Munich. The main topic was the coordination of joint efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace. They discussed continuing support for Ukraine, preparations for the summit meetings, and Kellogg's visit to Ukraine.

1:20 p.m. US Vice President JD Vance says that Europe is an important ally for the US, but in the future, Europe will have to play a more important role in ensuring its own security.

1:08 p.m. Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak meets with Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg on the sidelines of Munich. The head of the OP said that the meeting went “very well”.

12:25 p.m. Main statements of Zelenskyy

• Today there was a drone strike on the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the drone was flying at an altitude of 85 meters, and radars do not see this height. There will be an investigation. This gives us the opportunity to say that if radars do not see at this height, then they (Russians - ed.) did it on purpose. The strike was precisely on the sarcophagus. This is a kind of "greeting" from Putin regarding the security conference.
• In recent days, the situation in the Pokrovsk direction has been better. We are more confident there than we were.
• As for Trump, we had a long conversation. Not enough to form a plan, we discussed many details about the situation on the front. We understand that on the battlefield, a lot was said about North Korea.
• I don’t see that there is a ready-made plan in the USA. I am ready to talk at any moment for real. We are ready to talk about everything. From the contingent to security guarantees. We are ready for any structure to stop Putin.
• Today’s America and Trump are not ready to talk about Ukraine in NATO, because this is an escalation with the Russians. NATO is in the Constitution, they believe that this is the main factor in the occupation of Ukraine.
• The “red line” is that we do not legally recognize the occupied territories as Russian.
• I will have an official visit to Saudi Arabia to meet with His Royal Highness. Then to Türkiye. There will be no meeting with the Russians.
• If they are not ready to accept us into NATO. We will wait, but we will wait with security guarantees.
• It is important to communicate with the Americans, I don't know Vance's schedule, I have my own questions, I will share my thoughts, and Vance will share his. When we talked to Trump, we did not talk about security guarantees. With all due respect to Vance, there are issues that are only at the president's level.
• The US is on top and can stop any evil.
• It is Putin's desire that America withdraws and Trump is above the battle. This is dangerous for everyone. Putin will be the winner. I think there is a lot of anxiety among Europeans, everyone is afraid of being left without American support. This is not good. We are talking to all the leaders. What we see is that Europe will increase its unification around Ukraine, because it will be their defense. They are beginning to realize that they are next. We have to prevent this. We have to stop Putin. We must do everything to unite everyone again.
• There was no complete isolation of Russia. I do not want to characterize whether it is good or bad. I think that everyone will do their best to come out of this situation as winners. The United States wants to win, the Russians want to win, and Ukraine deserves to win. It will be very difficult. I understand roughly what they can talk about with Russia, not just the US. It will be difficult, but who says we won't overcome difficulties.
• We really want security guarantees from the United States. When we talk about the contingent, there is a question of whether we are ready for a European contingent. I say that we are ready for a contingent consisting even exclusively of Ukrainians. The question is what kind of equipment? If we have 150-160 F-16s, 25+ Patriot systems, why do we need teams from the US or Europe? If the question is about citizenship, it is not an issue. We need the United States as an ally. All allies politically support us. And if we're talking about the contingent, I have a map, it says there are 110,000 foreigners. It is desirable that our partners who are pros at sea - the British, the Nordics, if they are pros, it is desirable that they be at sea. In addition to the contingent, the economy is a guarantee.

12:15 p.m. Zelenskyy will talk to journalists in Munich.

11:40 a.m. Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet with Vance this morning, but the meeting has been postponed.

11:30 a.m. Conference Chairman Christoph Heusgen confirmed that there will be no Russian representatives at the event.

Yesterday, US President Donald Trump mentioned a potential three-way meeting between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and the US, but Zelenskyy’s office denied this.

11:25 a.m. The Ukrainian delegation informed RBC-Ukraine in Munich:

During a phone conversation on Wednesday, Presidents Zelenskyy and Trump agreed that Ukraine would finalize a partnership memorandum and submit it to the US. The US side asked for time to review the document until 17:00.

Ukraine at Munich Security Conference

It is expected that more than 800 participants from 110 countries will take part in the conference. Over the course of three days, the main challenges facing the world will be discussed, including steps to end the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian delegation will also be present at the conference, headed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian President will hold meetings with representatives of the administration of US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the conference. Among the topics of discussion will be the draft partnership agreement presented by US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent during his visit to Kyiv. The agreement addresses natural resources - rare earth metals, which can be mined in Ukraine. As the President stated, Ukraine is rich in reserves of uranium, titanium, lithium, and graphite, but these materials are mainly located in occupied territories and should not fall into Russian hands.

Schedule for February 14

The official opening of the Munich Conference is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Kyiv time. The following speakers are expected to address the summit today:

3:35 p.m. - German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier

4:00 p.m. - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

4:30 p.m. - US Vice President JD Vance

4:30 p.m. - Director-General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi

5:30 p.m. - Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi

5:30 p.m. - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Gideon Moshe Saar

5:30 p.m. - President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy

6:30 p.m. - Minister of Defense of Germany Boris Pistorius

6:30 p.m. - President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda

Schedule for February 15

Kyiv time listed

10:30 a.m. - Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz

11:15 a.m. - President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy

12:30 p.m. - President of Czechia Petr Pavel

1:30 p.m. - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

4:30 p.m. - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Annalena Baerbock

4:30 p.m. - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radosław Sikorski

4:30 p.m. - Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Noël Barrot

4:30 p.m. - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom Davidb Lammy

7:30 p.m. - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha

7:30 p.m. - US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg

For more details on the program of speeches at the Munich Security Conference 2025 for all three days, read our article on the topic.