Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak stated on February 16 that Kyiv has clearly defined its red lines of national interest during negotiations with the U.S. delegation at the Munich Security Conference (MSC). Yermak believes that the conference may provide evidence of work on a plan to end the war. He also mentioned substantive discussions with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. Presidential Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia, Kit Kellogg. According to Yermak, agreements on specific resources require further time and ideas for development.
The Ukrainian politician emphasized that Kyiv maintained its position in every meeting and dialogue within the MSC framework, asserting that there can be no dialogue on European security without Ukraine and the EU. Yermak reiterated that any agreement to end the war without Ukraine's participation would be unacceptable. The head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office also reported a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, emphasizing the unacceptable nature of attacks on the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, stating that Moscow poses a nuclear threat to the world. On February 14, Andriy Yermak met with Kit Kellogg to coordinate efforts towards achieving lasting peace.
During the meeting, Yermak stated that Russian President Putin "never plays by the rules" and urged not to be deceived. He added, "Russians respect only strength and despise those who do not use it. Russia stops not when it is persuaded, but when it is forced to do so."U.S.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Marco Rubio believes that negotiations with Russian officials regarding the end of the war in Ukraine, which are expected in the coming days, are premature. Rubio stated this during an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation" program on February 16. According to media reports, Rubio is expected to lead the American delegation in negotiations with Russian representatives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the coming days. It is also anticipated that a White House official for national security, Michael Voltz, and U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Balkans, Steve Vitkov, will join Rubio in the negotiations in Riyadh.
Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed preparations for a summit between Presidents Trump and Putin during a phone call on February 15. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry's website, these were the first negotiations between Lavrov and the U.S. Secretary of State since Rubio took office on January 21. The Foreign Ministry stated that the phone call was initiated by Washington. Diplomats exchanged views on key issues in Russian-American relations, focusing on resolving problems that have accumulated in bilateral ties due to the actions of the previous administration in various areas of trade, economic, and investment cooperation. In addition to the war between Russia and Ukraine, Rubio stated that Moscow also discussed the conflict in the Balkans, the situation in the Gaza Strip, and diplomatic efforts in both countries, which have been frozen for the past few years. The diplomats also discussed regular contacts to prepare for a high-level Russian-American meeting.