Ukrainian Delegation Heads to U.S. for Peace Talks Following Lead Negotiator’s Resignation

Reuters

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll attend a meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, 20 November 2025.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Saturday that a delegation led by National Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov is travelling to the United States to continue negotiations on a potential agreement to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Umerov assumes responsibility for leading the Ukrainian negotiating team after the previous chief negotiator, Zelenskiy’s influential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, resigned on Friday. His departure came just hours after anti-corruption investigators searched his residence.

Zelenskiy said he expects the outcomes of earlier discussions with the United States in Geneva last weekend to be “finalised” on Sunday.

A senior U.S. official told Reuters that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are set to meet the Ukrainian delegation on Sunday in Florida.

The Geneva talks enabled Ukraine to present a counter-proposal to initial terms put forward nearly two weeks ago by U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll during meetings in Kyiv.

“Rustem delivered a report today, and the task is clear: to work swiftly and substantively on the steps required to end the war,” Zelenskiy wrote on X.

Ukraine is under mounting pressure from Washington to agree to the terms of a peace deal, as Zelenskiy faces the most challenging political and military conditions since the opening months of Russia’s 2022 invasion.

A $100 million corruption scandal in the energy sector has triggered significant political fallout, leading to the dismissal of two ministers and now the president’s closest aide.

Shortly after resigning, Yermak told the New York Post that he was “going to the front,” insisting: “I am an honest and decent person.”

Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to make incremental advances along the front line, while Ukrainian cities endure prolonged daily power cuts amid sustained attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.

Zelenskiy has acknowledged that Ukraine is facing one of the most difficult periods in its modern history, but pledged in a forceful address last week that he would not betray the country.

Source: Reuters



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