The Ukrainian presidency’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Friday he had met US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The talks in Munich are expected to bring together Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky and US Vice President JD Vance, who is pushing for a speedy end to the war.

The build-up to the conference has been dominated by deep concern that Washington and Moscow are working towards a bad peace deal for Ukraine, forcing it to cede territory to Russia and denying it a chance to join NATO.

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“The main topic of conversation was the coordination of joint efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, Yermak said in a post on social media.

Russian President “Putin never plays by the rules,” Yermak added.

“Russians respect only force and despise those who do not use it,” Zelensky’s chief of staff added.

“Any agreements without strong coercion over Russia will not work — control over Ukraine remains the basis of the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions.”