Ukrainian Delegation to the U.S. to Discuss Security Guarantees amid International Negotiations
Special envoy of U.S.
President Donald Trump, Steve Vitko, plans to meet with a Ukrainian delegation in the United States this week to discuss potential security guarantees for Ukraine within the context of ongoing international negotiations.
The delegation will include Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration, and Rustem Umeev, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
The main focus of the talks will be on identifying effective security assurances that can secure Ukraine’s safety and stability in the future, as well as arranging bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
These discussions are taking place against the backdrop of intense negotiations following the recent meeting of Zelensky, Trump, and European leaders at the White House on August 18.
Trump is advocating for a quick agreement between Kyiv and Moscow to end the war, while Ukrainian officials concentrate on defining security guarantees that would ensure compliance with any agreement reached with Putin.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Yermak emphasized Kyiv’s readiness to negotiate in any format with Putin for peace, although President Zelensky pointed out that Moscow deliberately avoids dialogue by intensifying attacks and shelling peaceful cities.
CNN reports suggest that Russian leader Vladimir Putin probably has no desire to meet Zelensky now or in the future, as such a meeting would imply Moscow recognizing the legitimacy of Ukraine’s president.
For more details on Ukraine’s security guarantees, see Volodymyr Kim’s article “Between Article 5 and the ‘Porcupine’: The West Seeks ‘Guarantees’ for Ukraine’s Security.”