President Donald Trump's senior advisers are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss the path toward ending Russia's nearly three-year war in Ukraine.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, told reporters that the White House is ironing out details of the highly anticipated talks during the annual summit for international security discussions.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kellogg are among the Trump administration officials travelling to Germany for the summit, and all could be involved in the critical talks with Zelenskyy and his team on the sidelines of the event.
“Knowing how the process works, it would probably be better for Zelenskyy if we all met and talked through it as a group,” Kellogg said in an interview.
Trump on Monday said he'd “probably” speak with Zelenskyy this week.
The U.S. president said administration officials also would use the Munich gathering to better gauge the support that European nations are willing to provide Kyiv as it tries to repel Russian President Vladimir Putin's ground invasion.
Kellogg and other administration officials have already been meeting with European diplomats in Washington to discuss Ukraine.
But the talks in Munich give Trump's top aides their first major opportunity to deliver a message about the new administration's foreign policy outlook and its approach to a war that Trump has said is costing too much American taxpayer money.
He complained anew about Europe not doing enough in its own backyard. Trump argued that countries on the continent should repay the U.S. what Washington has spent helping Kyiv.
Follow us
