Ukraine submits revised partnership draft to US, thus delaying Zelensky-Vance meeting

Following Ukraine's submission of a revised agreement on rare earth resources to the United States, Washington requested additional time to review the document, leading to the postponement of the meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US Vice President J.D. Vance.

Suspilne and Ukrinform wrote about the transfer of the draft agreement, citing interlocutors in the Ukrainian delegation at the Munich Security Conference.

They said Zelensky promised to finalize the draft memorandum during a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on February 12. It was supposed to be handed over at the Munich conference.

And so they did, and the American side asked for time to work on the document until 5 p.m. on Friday, February 14.

European Pravda writes that because of this, the meeting between the Ukrainian president and the American vice president was postponed.

Ukraine has received a working copy of the financial agreement with the United States concerning rare earth minerals. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant delivered the document during his visit to Kyiv.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that he wanted to conclude an agreement with Kyiv under which Ukraine would supply the United States with rare earth minerals needed for electronics in exchange for American aid.

In turn, Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready for an agreement with the United States on the supply of rare earth resources. However, he does not plan to "give away" his resources but offers a mutually beneficial partnership.

The head of state has expressed Ukraine's openness to American investment in the extraction of its rare earth minerals in exchange for US assistance. He mentioned that he discussed this topic with US President Donald Trump in September 2024 and included it as a key point in his Victory Plan.

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The German news service Tagesschau reports that Vance told reporters after arriving at the conference that he intends to discuss the Ukrainian-Russian conflict and ways to reach a negotiated solution.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Munich. US Vice President J.D. Vance will also participate in the meeting.

However, it is currently unclear whether Rubio will be able to come, as his US Air Force plane, which was heading to Munich, was forced to return to Washington due to a mechanical problem.

Trump's phone call with Putin and his optimistic description of the conversation overturned many years of US policy under the Biden administration, which has treated Putin as an international pariah since the invasion of Ukraine.

Trump said that US and Russian officials would also meet in Munich on February 14. Ukraine has also been invited to the meeting. But Kyiv has said it does not expect to hold talks with Russia in Munich.

No Russian officials have been invited to the three-day conference, which is being held at a luxury hotel in the city center, but that will not prevent the meeting from taking place elsewhere in Munich.

Vance told the Wall Street Journal that the United States is ready to increase sanctions pressure on Russia and may allow the deployment of US troops to Ukraine. He said that would be possible if Vladimir Putin does not want to sign a "fair" peace deal.