Ukraine officials to meet Trump’s envoy in push for breakthrough in stalled Russia peace talks

“Friday, meetings will take place in New York, in the United States, with President Trump’s team,” Zelensky said during his daily address on social media, adding that these meetings follow discussions in Switzerland on Thursday.

The announcement comes amid a flurry of recent diplomacy, including mediation talks in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Zelensky noted that his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and former defence minister Rustem Umerov, participated in talks in Qatar on Tuesday.

Trump’s mediation efforts

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, had earlier told American media that he would meet Ukrainian representatives this week.

Trump has expressed a desire to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky, although progress has been slow. Moscow and Kyiv continue to blame each other for the stalled negotiations.

Zelensky emphasised the importance of Western security guarantees before any peace deal is concluded: “Very arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations,” he said. “Pressure must be exerted to force Russia to take real steps.”

Olga Stefanishyna named new Ukrainian Ambassador to US

In a related announcement, Zelensky appointed Olga Stefanishyna as Ukraine’s new ambassador to the United States. Stefanishyna, a former deputy prime minister and justice minister, succeeds Oksana Markarova, who oversaw US aid to Ukraine since 2021.

“In many ways, Ukraine’s long-term security depends on its relations with America,” Zelensky said during his evening address.

He added that Ukraine is proposing agreements with Washington allowing Kyiv’s European allies to purchase US weapons and to supply Ukrainian drones to the United States.

Stefanishyna also previously served as Ukraine’s minister for European integration and played a role in negotiations with the US over mining Ukraine’s rare minerals.