The US resorted to two opposing tactics at the Munich Security Conference.
According to European Pravda, who reported from the scene, the delegation led by US Vice President J.D.Vance first tried to push Kyiv into signing the rare minerals deal, which contained no real security guarantees, but backed off almost instantaneously after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to do it.
“We arrived in a pessimistic mood, considering everything that had been said before. Based on the results of the negotiations, I can confidently say that optimism in assessing the situation has increased,” one of the members of the Ukrainian delegation told the outlet.
The publication reports that the US delegation first demanded that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sign the agreement should he wish to meet with J.D. Vance face-to-face. The refusal led to an unexpected result: the American delegation almost instantly changed the tune and proceeded to negotiate as if nothing had happened.
“We want the war to end, but we also want it to be a lasting, long-term peace – not the kind of peace after which war will break out again in Eastern Europe just a few years later,” said J.D. Vance at the beginning of the bilateral meeting, depriving Ukraine’s delegation of the need to explain why a quick fix will not work.
The deal has not been signed yet though Ukraine continues to express interest in it should its content be adjusted.
The US and Russia are preparing to hold talks in Saudi Arabia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made it clear that Ukraine would not recognize its outcome if it were absent.
