US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Munich on Thursday, where he is scheduled to engage in crucial discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding Russia's nearly three-year conflict with Ukraine.
Vance, accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is scheduled to meet with Zelenskyy on Friday at the Munich Security Conference. The meeting is expected to focus on President Donald Trump's growing efforts to prompt Ukraine and Russia to initiate talks to bring an end to the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Vance has been a vocal critic of the defense spending of US allies, a viewpoint shared by Trump, who believes it is insufficient according to US administration standards.
The Trump administration has made it quite evident that Europe holds a significant place in our concerns," Vance stated during a meeting this week with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "However, we also desire to ensure that our security partnership is mutually beneficial, serving the interests of both Europe and the United States.
On Wednesday, Trump had separate conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy. Trump stated that he and Putin concurred it was time to "start negotiations immediately" to bring an end to the war.
The call between Trump and Putin came just hours after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that NATO membership for Ukraine was highly unlikely, suggesting that Kyiv should forget about regaining the territory it lost to Russia since 2014. Instead, Hegseth advised Ukraine to prepare for a negotiated peace agreement that would be supported by international peacekeeping forces.
Besides his meetings with Zelenskyy, Vance is set to give an address on Friday at the annual Munich Security Conference.
European war and the defense spending of NATO members are expected to be a major subject for world leaders meeting in Munich.
Before the talks, Vance visited the Dachau concentration camp memorial, a powerful reminder of the atrocities committed by the Nazis during World War II and the delayed action of the US and Western allies in addressing Adolf Hitler and the rise of his violent nationalist ideology.
In 1933, when Hitler came to power, Dachau was set up as one of the first concentration camps. Over 200,000 individuals from various parts of Europe were detained at the camp, and more than 40,000 prisoners perished in inhumane circumstances. US soldiers completed the liberation of the camp on April 29, 1945.