Ukrainian Officials Meet US Delegation In New York For War Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that members of his administration, including chief of staff Andriy Yermak and former defense minister Rustem Umerov, will meet with US officials in New York on Friday as part of intensified diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia. These talks follow recent mediation meetings in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and come after a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska, as well as a Washington meeting involving Trump, Zelensky, and European allies. Trump has expressed a desire to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelensky, though progress has been limited with both sides blaming each other for the impasse. Ukraine is seeking security guarantees from the West to deter future Russian aggression before agreeing to any peace deal. Zelensky criticized Moscow for sending arrogant and negative signals regarding the negotiations and called for increased international pressure to compel Russia to take concrete steps. The discussions are expected to cover military, political, and economic components of security guarantees aimed at demonstrating to Russia the serious consequences of continuing the war.