Ukraine has stated that there are no planned conversations with Russia at the upcoming Munich Security Conference, which begins on Friday in the German city. This announcement comes after US President Donald Trump mentioned a high-level meeting between representatives of Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv. Dmitró Litvin, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, confirmed that “right now, there is nothing on the table” and “there are no conversations planned with the Russians in Munich” in an interview with the Kyiv Independent and the Agency UnÃ.
Ukraine’s Position on Talks with Russia
Litvin emphasized that Ukraine’s position has not changed since the country was invaded by Russia almost three years ago. He stated that “you must first talk to the United States” and that “Europe must be part of any serious conversation for a genuine and lasting peace.” Ukraine is adamant that only a coordinated and unified position should be on the table for conversations with the Russians, and that they will not meet with the Russians at an empty table.
Prior to this, Trump announced that a meeting between high-level representatives of the US, Russia, and Ukraine would take place in Munich on Friday, although he did not provide further details. It is worth noting that Russia is not officially invited to the Munich Security Conference. Trump mentioned that “there will be a meeting in Munich. Russia will be there with our people. By the way, Ukraine is also invited. I am not sure who will be there from each country, but there will be high-level people from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.”
Upcoming Encounters in Munich
It is known that Ukrainian President Zelenski will meet with US Vice President JD Vance in Munich on Friday, accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This encounter follows Trump’s phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenski on Wednesday, where the US President announced that the Kremlin chief had agreed to initiate “immediate negotiations” to end the war in Ukraine. Zelenski reiterated that nobody wants peace more than Ukraine, a message also echoed by Trump.
On the topic of Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO, Trump stated that it is not “practical” and considered it “unlikely” that the country would be able to reclaim the annexed Crimea Peninsula. Zelenski mentioned in an interview with The Guardian that his intention is to “exchange a territory for another,” possibly referring to the Russian region of Kursk, where Ukrainian troops still control about 500 square kilometers. The Ukrainian president added that he is unsure what part of the lands occupied by Russia would be requested in return. The Kremlin troops currently occupy a significant portion of Eastern Ukraine, including the Lugansk region, parts of Donetsk, and the provinces of Jersón and Zaporiyia.