Vance issues statement following meeting with Ukraine's Zelenskyy

"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," the US Vice President emphasized.

Vance noted that a series of "good conversations" had taken place on how to achieve lasting peace together, with more such discussions expected in the coming days, weeks, and months.

He was also asked about the next steps if Ukraine is not ready to negotiate with Russia.

According to Vance, some progress has already been made on this issue.

"First of all, you have great members of the Ukrainian delegation. You have our incredible Secretary of State Marco Rubio. We have General Kellogg (US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg - ed.). It’s important for us to get together and start having a conversation," the Vice President stated.

He also added that negotiations are necessary to "bring the thing to a close."

Zelenskyy and Vance’s meeting

Earlier today, on February 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

It is currently unknown what exactly was discussed or how the talks went.

This marks the first meeting between Zelenskyy and Vance since Donald Trump took office in the US.

Notably, Vance has already spoken at the Munich Security Conference, mentioning Russia’s war against Ukraine only once while sharply criticizing Europe.

You can find Vance’s key statements in RBC-Ukraine’s report.