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Vance Visits Dachau, Zelenskk 02/13 07:10

   

   MUNICH, Germany (AP) -- U.S. Vice President JD Vance will visit the Dachau 
concentration camp memorial Thursday, making a stop at one of the most powerful 
symbols of World War II on the eve of his critical talks with Ukrainian 
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the three-year Russia-Ukraine conflict.

   Vance, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is due to sit down Friday 
with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss 
President Donald Trump's intensifying push for Ukraine and Russia to begin 
negotiations to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

   But first Vance is stopping at the solemn memorial that is a powerful 
reminder of the Nazis' World War II-era atrocities and the U.S. and Western 
allies' slowness to take decisive action to confront Adolf Hitler and the rise 
of his violent nationalist ideology.

   Dachau was established in 1933 -- the same year Hitler took power -- as one 
of the first concentration camps. More than 200,000 people from across Europe 
were held at the camp, and over 40,000 prisoners died there in horrendous 
conditions. U.S. soldiers completed the liberation on April 29, 1945.

   Vance is in the midst of a five-day visit to France and Germany, his first 
overseas travel since becoming vice president last month. His wife, Usha Vance, 
is expected to join him for the Dachau visit.

   The moment at Dachau will offer Vance a chance to reflect on the scourges of 
war just as his boss, Donald Trump, is ratcheting up his efforts to end the 
current conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

   Trump on Wednesday spoke separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin 
and Zelenskyy. Trump said that he and Putin agreed it was time to "start 
negotiations immediately" to end the war.

   And as Trump announced his agreement on negotiations with Putin, U.S. 
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that NATO membership for Ukraine was 
unrealistic and suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its 
territory back from Russia and instead prepare for a negotiated peace 
settlement to be backed up by international troops.

   In addition to his talks with Zelenskyy, Vance is scheduled to deliver an 
address on Friday to the annual Munich Security Conference.

   The war in Europe and NATO members' defense spending are expected to be 
front and center for the world leaders gathering in Munich.

   Vance, like Trump, has been a sharp critic of U.S. allies' spending what the 
administration deems as too little on their defense budgets.

   "The Trump administration has been clear that we care a lot about Europe," 
Vance said during a meeting this week with European Commission President Ursula 
von der Leyen. "But we also want to make sure that we're engaged in a security 
partnership that's both good for Europe and the United States."

   Over nearly three years of war, 50 countries -- known as the Ukraine Contact 
Group -- have collectively provided Ukraine with more than $126 billion in 
weapons and military assistance, including more than $66.5 billion from the 
U.S., which has served as chair of the group since its creation.

   Trump in his 2024 campaign derided the enormous amount of U.S. military aid 
poured into Ukraine and vowed to end the conflict within 24 hours of returning 
to the White House.

   Since his November election victory over Democrat Kamala Harris, Trump and 
his advisers have dialed back on their boldest timelines and set a goal of 
ending the war in about six months.

    

 
 
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