After meeting Zelenskyy in Munich, Vance says US seeks ‘durable peace’ in Ukraine

The United States was targeting a “durable peace” in Ukraine, US Vice President JD Vance said Friday after meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in Munich.

“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 conflict just a couple years down the road,” Vance said.

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The meeting in Germany was viewed as a crucial opportunity for Kyiv to maintain Washington’s support after US President Donald Trump surprised allies by initiating peace talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face, but only after Kyiv and its allies have established a unified strategy to end the war.

“I will meet with Russians – with only one Russian guy, with Putin – only after we will have a common plan with Trump, Europe,” Zelensky told the Munich Security Conference before seeing Vance.

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“Only in this case I’m ready to meet.”

Vance in the run-up insisted the United States was prepared to pressure Russia to end its three-year war on Ukraine, as he said Europe should “of course” be at the table.

But the vice president also told Europe to “step up” on bolstering its own defence to allow Washington to focus on threats elsewhere in the world.

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.

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That has sparked major worries in Kyiv and Europe that Ukraine could be forced into a bad deal that leaves the continent facing 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.

The vice president did not give more away in a keenly-awaited keynote speech, as he avoided addressing the war in Ukraine and focused instead on scolding Europe over immigration and free speech.

With inputs from agencies