Marco Rubio meets Zelenskyy amid tensions over U.S. approach to Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, as Zelenskyy pushed back against what he has described as a U.S. focus on Ukrainian concessions rather than on pressing Russia in efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.

The two discussed Ukraine's security and deepening defense and economic partnerships between their countries, Rubio said.

Their meeting comes after Rubio skipped a session with European leaders on Ukraine at the conference, in what appears to signal Washington's waning interest in involving the Europeans in the Ukraine peace talks, while Zelenskyy, who has long pushed for a broader European role, criticized the U.S. for placing disproportionate pressure on Ukraine in his earlier address to the gathering.

"The Americans often return to the topic of concessions," Zelenskyy said in his speech. "Too often those concessions are discussed in the context only of Ukraine, not Russia."

"We truly hope that the trilateral meetings next week will be serious, substantive, helpful for all of us, but honestly, sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completing different things," he added.

Talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. on a peace deal are scheduled for next week in Geneva, following previous rounds last month that yielded no breakthroughs.

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Ukraine has to "get moving" to reach an agreement with Russia, warning that Zelenskyy could miss a "great opportunity" if he fails to do so.