US vice president to meet Zelenskyy at conference in Munich as Trump pushes for talks on rare metals

US Vice President James David Vance will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week at the Munich conference. 

"Vice President Vance will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Munich Security Conference next week," Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.   

As the publication notes, US President Donald Trump has announced his intention to conclude a $500 million agreement with Ukraine to gain access to rare earth metals and gas in exchange for security guarantees as part of any potential peace settlement.

The Munich security conference will be held on February 14-16.

Earlier, on February 8, US President Donald Trump said that he expects to meet with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week. Trump also confirmed that he maintains his intention to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, he added that he and Putin have always had good relations.

Prior to that, on February 3, Trump said that in exchange for financial and military assistance, Washington expects Ukraine to guarantee supplies of rare earth metals. He emphasized that the United States will require the EU to increase funding support for Kiev.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of the Russian Federation's special operation to protect Donbas, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.

By Khagan Isayev