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A Ukrainian delegation led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov has departed for the United States to engage in negotiations over a U.S.-proposed plan to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Saturday.
The visit follows earlier talks in Geneva and is expected to build momentum toward shaping a formal peace framework.
In his post on X, Zelenskyy said that the team has been tasked with "swiftly and substantively" outlining steps for ending the war, as Ukraine seeks what it describes as a "dignified peace" through close coordination with Washington. The talks are scheduled to take place Sunday, Zelenskyy added.
According to Bloomberg, the Ukrainian delegation is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner during their visit to Florida. The meeting will cover the Trump administration’s 28-point peace plan, which, though not officially disclosed, has drawn criticism for favoring Russia by proposing territorial concessions and military limits, while Trump has stated it is not a final offer.
"Ukraine continues to work with the United States in the most constructive way possible, and we expect that the results of the meetings in Geneva will now be hammered out in the United States," Zelenskyy said.
The U.S. visit also comes amid a leadership reshuffle in Ukraine’s negotiating team. Umerov replaces Andriy Yermak, who recently resigned as head of the Presidential Office. The change was confirmed in an official statement published on the presidency’s website.
The delegation includes senior figures from Ukraine’s defense, intelligence, and foreign affairs sectors. Among them are the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, the deputy chief of Ukraine’s General Staff, the chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and the first deputy foreign minister.
Also participating are the deputy first secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, the deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), an advisor to the Presidential Office, and the deputy head of military intelligence.
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