Extract from ABC News
Talks in Munich have ended without an announcement of a critical minerals deal. (Reuters: Leah Millis)
In short:
Talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice-President JD Vance ended without an announcement of a critical minerals deal.
At the Munich Security Conference, the US vice-president angered German politicians who accused him of comparing European democracy to authoritarian regimes.
Mr Vance says military and economic tools could be used to negotiate a Ukraine deal with Russia.
US Vice-President JD Vance has said Washington has military and economic levers that it could use to push Russia in peace talks over the Ukraine war.
At the Munich Security Conference, the US vice-president angered German politicians who accused him of comparing European democracy to authoritarian regimes.
Talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mr Vance ended without an announcement of a critical minerals deal that is central to Kyiv's push to win the backing of US President Donald Trump.
Kyiv came back to the US with a revised draft agreement of the deal that could open up its vast resources of key minerals to US investment, after receiving the initial draft accord earlier this week.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his meeting with JD Vance had been "good". (Reuters: Leah Millis)
"Our teams will continue to work on the document," Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that he had had a "good meeting" with Mr Vance.
He added that Kyiv was "ready to move towards as quickly as possible towards a real and guaranteed peace".
A bipartisan group of US senators attended the behind-closed-doors meeting in Munich where Mr Zelenskyy voiced concern about the US proposal presented on Wednesday this week.
He "felt he was being asked unreasonably to sign something he hadn't had a chance to read", said an anonymous source close to Mr Zelenskyy.
"I don't think he appreciated being given a take-it-or-leave-it thing," the source added.
The Ukrainian president then discussed his own proposal for a mineral deal with the United States, the source said.
Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, when asked after the meeting if Mr Zelenskyy considered the US proposal one-sided, responded, "I think that's fair to say."
JD Vance tried to get a critical minerals deal with Ukraine over the line in Munich. (Reuters: Leah Millis)
Mr Trump's White House faced a barrage of criticism from European leaders this week amid concern the US appeared willing to take a softer stance with Vladimir Putin.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested on Wednesday it was not "realistic" for Ukraine to expect a return to old borders and that US troops would not be sent as peacekeepers in the event of any deal.
But Mr Vance has now intervened and suggested the US could take a tougher line, as he dangled the threat of "military tools'" and further sanctions against Russia.
He said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal ahead of the Munich Security Conference: "There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage."
When asked about the reference to military levers, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow wanted to know more.
Mr Trump says US and Russian officials would meet in Munich on Friday local time. (Reuters: Kent Nishimura)
"This was a new element about the (US) position. We have not heard such formulations before, they have not been voiced before," Mr Peskov said.
"So, of course, during the very contacts that we have been talking about, of course, we hope to receive some additional clarification."
Voters in Europe didn't want 'unvetted immigrants', says Vance
Mr Vance met with Alice Weidel, the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, while in Munich, an official in Vance's office said, according to a pool report.
The US vice-president backed the German far-right party as an eligible political partner in remarks while in Munich for the security conference.
The anti-immigration AfD, currently polling at around 20 per cent ahead of the February 23 general election, has pariah status among other major political parties in a country with a taboo about far-right politics because of its Nazi past.
In a policy dubbed the "firewall", parties have formed a consensus not to work with the AfD, which is under surveillance by the German domestic intelligence service.
In an apparent reference to the catchword, Mr Vance said: "Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There's no room for firewalls."
JD Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference (MSC). (Reuters: Leah Millis)
"No voter on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants," Mr Vance also said, speaking at the Munich Security Conference.
In an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised Mr Vance's remarks as highly unusual.
He added that Germany had a firewall against extreme right-wing parties for a good reason, citing Germany's past under National Socialism.
Germany's defence minister also rebuffed Vance's criticism of German and European political powers as unacceptable.
"This democracy was just called into question by the US vice-president, not just the German democracy but that of Europe as a whole," Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said at the Munich Security Conference.
"If I understand him correctly he compares the condition of Europe with what prevails in some authoritarian regimes … this is not acceptable," he added.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said JD Vance's inferences were "unacceptable". (Reuters: Wolfgang Rattay)
Mr Trump said Europe was losing its right to freedom of speech and struggling with immigration, as he doubled down on criticising traditional allies.
"I heard his [JD Vance] speech. He talked about freedom of speech. And I think it's true," Trump told reporters.
"In Europe, it's losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech. I see it."
Donald Trump says Europeans are losing freedom of speech.
Ukraine says united position needed for negotiation
Mr Zelenskyy has said negotiations with Russia could not happen without a united position from Ukraine, Europe, and the US.
He said he spoke with the Polish Prime Minister about his conversation with Mr Trump.
"Ukraine must negotiate from a position of strength, with strong and reliable security guarantees, and that NATO membership would be the most cost-effective for partners," he said.
"Another key guarantee is serious investment in Ukraine’s defence industry.
"I also warned world leaders against trusting Putin’s claims of readiness to end the war."
Britain committed to Ukraine's NATO path, France warns of capitulation
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it remains committed to Ukraine being on "an irreversible path to NATO" membership.
"The prime minister reiterated the UK's commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to NATO, as agreed by Allies at the Washington Summit last year," a readout of a call with Mr Zelenskiy issued by Mr Starmer's office said.
Mr Starmer reiterated his position that there could be no talks "about Ukraine, without Ukraine," adding that the country needed strong security guarantees, further aid and a sovereign future.
Mr Starmer has reiterated his position that Ukraine needs to be in the centre of the talks. (AP: Omar Havana)
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said only Mr Zelenskyy could negotiate on behalf of his country with Russia to end the war, according to the Financial Times.
"A peace that is a capitulation is bad news for everyone," he said.
Mr Macron said Mr Trump had created a “window of opportunity” for a negotiated solution, where "everyone has to play their role".
"It is up to the international community, with a specific role for the Europeans, to discuss security guarantees and, more broadly, the security framework for the entire region," he said.
"That is where we have a role to play."
ABC/Wires
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