Translated with AI
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held bilateral talks at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, February 14.
The parties discussed a new round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the United States on ending the war, which will take place on February 17–18 in Geneva. The Ukrainian leader emphasized the importance of achieving progress on security guarantees for Kyiv and Ukraine's economic recovery.
Zelenskyy announced on social media that he briefed Rubio on the situation at the front and the Russian Federation's strikes on Ukraine's energy system. They also discussed protecting civilians from the effects of the attacks and the cold following the strikes on energy infrastructure.
Marco Rubio commented more briefly on the meeting, noting that the talks focused on "Ukraine's security and deepening defense and economic partnerships." He added that US President Donald Trump "wants to find a solution that will end the bloodshed once and for all."
That same day, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a telephone conversation with Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the White House's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. According to the Ukrainian president, the conversation took place ahead of the talks in Geneva.
"We also discussed some developments that occurred after the meetings in Abu Dhabi. Not everything can be discussed over the phone, and our negotiating team will present Ukraine's position next week," Zelenskyy said.
On February 14, both the Ukrainian president and the US Secretary of State addressed the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Zelenskyy expressed hope that the trilateral talks in Geneva would be "serious, substantive, and useful." He noted that sometimes it seems the parties are talking about different things. "The Americans often return to the topic of concessions, and too often these concessions are discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not Russia," he said.
Marco Rubio, for his part, stated that the range of issues that need to be resolved to end Russia's war against Ukraine has narrowed, but that "the most difficult questions" remain. He added that Washington is unsure whether Moscow is truly committed to ending the war.
