‘A moment of truth’ As Trump’s team sidelines allies in Munich, Ukraine hopes Europe is waking up to the threat ahead
At the Munich Security Conference on February 14–16, the Trump administration made clear that it plans to push forward with negotiations to end the war in Ukraine — without Europe at the table. Meanwhile, as the conference was underway, Trump’s team finalized plans for a U.S. delegation to meet with Russian officials to discuss Ukraine — without Kyiv. Adding insult to injury, American officials reportedly pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign an agreement handing over half of Ukraine’s mineral, as well as port, infrastructure, oil, and gas resources to the United States. The Telegraph described the deal as “the U.S. economic colonization of Ukraine, in legal perpetuity,” contending its terms are even harsher than those imposed on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. And yet, the conference also marked what some Ukrainian officials see as a different kind of turning point: Europe, they believe, is finally waking up to the reality that the U.S. may no longer be a reliable partner and that Russia poses a direct threat.
In the lead-up to the Munich Security Conference, Bloomberg reported that Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, planned to unveil Trump’s peace plan at the event. The speculation raised immediate concerns. As BBC News Russian noted, Trump had yet to consult with Kyiv or European leaders, meaning any plan would have been shaped primarily by his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the end, however, there was no concrete peace plan — as one member of the Ukrainian delegation told BBC News Russian, there was only “a cloud of ideas, parameters, and proposals, some of them contradictory, coming from various people with varying levels of proximity to Trump.”
Adding to the confusion was Trump’s claim that the opening day of the Munich conference would include the first meeting between Ukrainian and Russian delegations since 2022. No such meeting took place. In fact, no Russian officials or Kremlin-linked individuals were accredited to attend the conference.
Kellogg, for his part, said Trump would present a plan later and, when asked about how his team envisions the peace process, offered only vague principles. When pressed on what security guarantees the U.S. might offer Ukraine, he deflected.
But its haphazard approach to the peace process doesn’t mean the Trump administration isn’t moving forward at full speed. News that a U.S. delegation would travel to Saudi Arabia following the Munich Security Conference for talks with a Russian delegation on ending the war reportedly caught Kyiv by surprise. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian officials had no prior knowledge of the plans and would not be participating in or recognizing the outcome of such negotiations.
‘Not a good idea’
On the first day of the conference, Zelensky warned that making a deal “without [Ukraine] or without Europe is not a good idea.” He reiterated this position on Saturday, stating that “Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement. And the same rule should apply to all of Europe.”
Concerns that Kyiv and the European Union are being sidelined only grew after Kellogg explicitly stated that the E.U. would not be part of the negotiations at all. According to him, the U.S. will act as an “intermediary” between Russia and Ukraine.
In response, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, made Kyiv’s position clear: “We know from experience: the only way to negotiate with Russia is from a position of strength. We don’t need mediators — we need allies. As many allies as possible.” Makeiev also argued that European leaders need to “take a firm stance and be honest with their people, even during election campaigns: without security, there is nothing.”
Meduza has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the very start, and we are committed to reporting objectively on a war we firmly oppose. Join Meduza in its mission to challenge the Kremlin’s censorship with the truth. Donate today.
Sources from the Ukrainian delegation in Munich told RBC Ukraine that they saw a silver lining in the situation — Europe, they said, appeared to be “waking up” to the dual threat posed both by Russia and the possibility that they can no longer count on the U.S. for protection. Zelensky even called for the creation of a joint European army. “Three years of full-scale war have proven that we already have the foundation for a united European military force,” he said. “And now, as we fight this war and lay the groundwork for peace and security, we must build the armed forces of Europe.”
Zelensky stressed that Europe must be capable of defending itself and warned that Russia threatens far more than just Ukraine. “Let’s be honest,” he said. “Now we can't rule out the possibility that America might say no to Europe on an issue that threatens it.”
While some European leaders voiced skepticism about the feasibility of such a plan, the E.U.’s top officials are meeting in Paris today for an emergency summit on Ukraine amid growing fears that the U.S. is sidelining them.
‘Never underestimate Ukraine’
The Ukrainian delegation faced a delicate balancing act in Munich, attempting to push back on U.S. demands without alienating the Trump administration. And though the outcome of the conference remains uncertain, RBC Ukraine reports that Ukrainian delegates believe they struck the balance and came away optimistic.
When American lawmakers pressured Zelensky to sign an agreement that would grant the U.S. half of Ukraine’s “future mineral reserves,” they reportedly set a condition: U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance would only meet with Zelensky after the document was signed. However, Zelensky refused to sign without first reviewing and renegotiating the terms, and the meeting went ahead anyway.
“We carefully showed our American friends that we also have our own position. They gave us a lemon with this agreement — our job is to turn it into lemonade,” a source in the Ukrainian delegation told RBC Ukraine.
Following the event, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on Facebook that this year’s conference marked a “moment of truth” for Europe. Behind closed doors, he said, he saw a mix of “outrage, shock, and readiness for action” on the faces of European officials — expressions he hadn’t seen since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. “We used these negotiations to truly awaken Europe,” he said, emphasizing that the security of Ukraine and Europe are inseparable.
The growing realization that Europe must step up has begun to shift the center of gravity in global security discussions, Sybiha believes. But even as the transatlantic balance evolves, the role of the United States remains critical. “Without the U.S., neither security guarantees nor long-term stability will take off,” Sybiha noted.
The way Sybiha sees it, Russia’s greatest fear is not just a renewed U.S. presence on the continent, but a stronger, more united Europe. “That is where everything is heading now,” he said. As for Ukraine, Sybiha offered a reminder: “Three years ago, almost no one believed in us. But we endured and proved our strength. Never underestimate Ukraine. And don’t overestimate Russia.”
