Negotiations on rare minerals fruitless as Zelensky wants Europe and Ukraine included in the talks

"Concluding a peace deal without Ukraine or Europe is not a good idea," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump who said on Wednesday he had agreed with Putin.

"Kyiv and Washington are still trying to reach an agreement on the critical minerals that the U.S. wants to exploit," two members of the Ukrainian delegation said after talks between  Zelensky and U.S. Vice President J.D. Bush. Nf. Vance on the sidelines of the 61st Security Summit on Friday in Munich.

"Some details will have to be worked out," the sources added, revealing that in the end, this meeting did not result in an agreement on minerals either.

"Ukraine submitted to the United States its proposals for the bilateral agreement after it finished drafting them," two Ukrainian sources said earlier. Kyiv tries to secure U.S. President Donald Trump's support to end the war with Russia. 'Peace deal without Ukraine and Europe is not a good idea' "Allies and Ukraine need to prepare a plan on how to stop Putin," Zelensky said after meeting with Vance. The Ukrainian president stressed to the US vice president that Kyiv wants "real security guarantees" before any talks to end the war with Russia take place. "We need to talk more, work more, and prepare planning how to stop Putin," he said.

He noted that he had a good conversation with the U.S. vice president and that more work needed to be done on a plan to end the war in Ukraine. "We are ready to move as fast as possible for a real peace. The U.S. and Ukrainian teams will continue to work toward an agreement on rare minerals," he said. "It's our first meeting, not our last," he said. Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace talks only when Kyiv agrees on a joint plan with U.S. and European leaders. He noted that the war with Russia has strengthened the unity between Europe and the US and is proud that Ukraine is part of such a "strong" Europe. He warned that it was important not to lose "this unity".

"A peace deal without Ukraine or Europe is not a good idea," he said, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump who said on Wednesday that he had spoken with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bend told Fox that a deal on Ukraine's minerals "would link the Ukrainian economy to that of the U.S., ensuring that American taxpayers get a refund for the money they pay."