Trump Advisers to Meet Zelensky at Munich Summit

Senior Trump administration advisers will engage in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week during the Munich Security Conference, aiming to chart a course toward ending Russia's nearly three-year war in Ukraine. President Trump has tasked his team, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Keith Kellogg, with meeting Zelensky on the sidelines of the conference. The discussions will explore European support for Ukraine and potential US foreign policy adjustments. Trump indicated he'll likely speak with Zelensky this week.

Kellogg emphasized the importance of a group meeting with Zelensky, saying, "Knowing how the process works, it would probably be better for Zelensky if we all met together and talked through it as a group." Talks in Munich present Trump's administration with a chance to critique Europe's lack of involvement and to express that European countries should repay the US for its financial support of Kyiv. In recent developments, Trump proposed acquiring Ukraine's rare earth materials as a condition for ongoing US aid, with Kellogg supporting this economic strategy. Kellogg said of the potential rare earth deal: "The answer to that is yes. The economics of that would allow for further support to the Ukrainians."

Vice President Vance will lead the delegation to the security conference on Thursday, following meetings in Paris with leaders Emmanuel Macron, Narendra Modi, and Ursula von der Leyen. Trump remarked on the proposed deal: "We have people over there today who are making a deal that as we give money, we get minerals and we get oil and we get all sorts of things." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)