Vice President JD Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday at the Munich Security Conference to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Following the meeting, Vice President Vance described the discussion as "a good conversation" and emphasized that he was delivering a message on behalf of President Trump that the war must come to an end and there must be a path to peace.
President Zelenskyy echoed that it was a productive discussion. However, before meeting with Vice President Vance, Zelenskyy stated that he would not sit down to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin unless he first hammers out a game plan to resolve the war with President Trump.
"I don't see that the United States has already made a plan," Zelenskyy said.
Meanwhile, in Munich, Vance urged NATO members to boost their defense spending amid ongoing shifts in U.S. foreign policy.
"President Trump has made abundantly clear, he believes that our European friends must play a bigger role in the future of this continent," Vance said.
During Vance’s address, reactions among European leaders appeared mixed, with some parts receiving tepid applause.
Vance also highlighted issues in Europe, such as media censorship the rise of misinformation and immigration, rather than solely external threats like Russia.
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"No voter on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants, but you know what they did vote for? In England, they voted for Brexit and agree or disagree, they voted for it and more and more all over Europe, they're voting for political leaders who promised to put an end to out-of-control migration," he said.
Vance warned that the real threat to Europe is not from external actors, but rather from a retreat from fundamental values shared with the United States. Vance’s comments suggest that the Trump administration is looking to not only bolster NATO's defense capabilities but also to engage European partners on critical domestic challenges that could impact collective security.
