Ukraine and US fail to reach aid deal in Munich

(CLO) Talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice President JD Vance ended at the Munich Security Conference on Friday without any announcement of key agreements that would allow Washington to continue aid to Kiev.

The two sides had previously discussed a draft agreement that would see Ukraine hand over the right to exploit its vast mineral resources to the United States in exchange for aid.

“Our team will continue to work on this text,” Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that he had a “good meeting” with Mr Vance and that Kiev was “ready to move towards a real and guaranteed peace as quickly as possible”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at the Munich Security Conference. Photo: MSC

It is not yet clear what the contentious issue is, but Ukraine is pressing for strong security guarantees from Europe and the United States to protect it from Russia in the future if a peace deal is reached.

President Zelenskyy outlined the outlines of the deal, which proposes a mutually beneficial partnership to jointly mine them, not “give them away.” The minerals include rare earths, as well as titanium, uranium and lithium, among others.

Mr Trump, who has not committed to continuing military assistance to Ukraine, has said he wants Kiev to provide $500bn in rare earth minerals and that Washington's support needs to be "guaranteed".

Ukraine was presented with a draft US agreement on Wednesday when US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived in Kiev. Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would study it with the aim of reaching an agreement in Munich.

Mr. Bessent told Fox Business Network on Friday that the Trump administration's plan to end the war would tie Ukraine's economy to the United States.

“Part of this plan starts with more closely tying the Ukrainian economy to the United States and ensuring that American taxpayers get a return on their money,” he said.

Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, asked after the meeting whether Mr Zelenskyy considered the US proposal biased, replied: "I think that's fair." He said Mr Trump's proposal "needs to be refined", but declined to elaborate.

Hoang Huy (according to MSC, DW, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ukraine-va-my-khong-dat-duoc-thoa-thuan-vien-tro-tai-hoi-nghi-an-ninh-munich-post334589.html