External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha on Friday on the sideline of the Munich Security Conference (MSC 2025) in Munich.
"Good to meet FM Andrii Sybiha of Ukraine on the sidelines of #MSC2025 today. Discussed ongoing efforts towards the resolution of the Ukraine conflict. Also spoke about further advancement of our bilateral cooperation," Jaishankar said.
Ukraine wants 'security guarantees': Zelenskyy to US
In another crucial development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US Vice President JD Vance. The two met at the Munich Security Conference. "My country wants “security guarantees” before any talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war," Zelenskyy said during his meeting with Vance.
Europe quietly works on a plan to send troops to Ukraine for post-war security
Meanwhile, increasingly alarmed that US security priorities lie elsewhere, a group of European countries has been quietly working on a plan to send troops into Ukraine to help enforce any future peace settlement with Russia.
Britain and France are at the forefront of the effort, though details remain scarce. The countries involved in the discussions are reluctant to tip their hand and give Russian President Vladimir Putin an edge should he agree to negotiate an end to the war he launched three years ago.
What is clear is that Zelenskyy needs a guarantee that his country's security will be assured until peace takes hold. The best protection would be the NATO membership that Ukraine has long been promised, but the US has taken that option off the table.
“I won't get into the particular capabilities, but I do accept that if there is peace then there needs to be some sort of security guarantee for Ukraine and the UK will play its part in that,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in cautious remarks on Thursday.
The Europeans began exploring what kind of force might be needed about a year ago, but the sense of urgency has grown amid concern that US President Donald Trump might go over their heads, and possibly even Ukraine's, to clinch a deal with Putin.
Many questions remain unanswered but one stands out: what role, if any, might the United States play? European powers consider the road ahead. In December, after Trump was elected but before he took office, a group of leaders and ministers huddled with Zelenskyy at NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte's residence in Brussels.
They came from Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. Top European Union officials attended too.
The talks built on an idea promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron in early 2024. At the time his refusal to rule out putting troops on the ground in Ukraine prompted an outcry, notably from the leaders of Germany and Poland.
Macron appeared isolated on the European stage, but his plan has gained traction since. Still, much about what the force might look like and who will take part will depend on the terms of any peace settlement, and more.
(With agencies inputs)