Ukrainian officials led by Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov are on their way to Washington on Saturday ahead of negotiations the next day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.
Mr. Umerov replaced the previous leader of the delegation, Andriy Yermak, who resigned as Mr. Zelenskyy’s chief of staff on Friday as Ukrainian authorities searched his home in connection with an energy corruption investigation. Mr. Yermak had told Western press that he planned to travel to Washington this weekend.
The delegation is expected to work with U.S. officials to “swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war,” Mr. Zelenskyy posted on X.
The visit comes amid a renewed push for peace between Ukraine and Russia following a high-stakes meeting between U.S. diplomats and Ukrainian officials in Geneva last weekend. Ukrainian representatives offered counterproposals to a drafted U.S. peace plan, which President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly developed over the past month.
Last week, Mr. Umerov reported that U.S. and Ukrainian officials reached an “understanding” of the core terms of the U.S.-backed peace plan. He did not detail which provisions remained outstanding.
Following the Geneva meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said significant progress was made, with only a few issues left to iron out, a sentiment echoed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Sunday’s meeting comes as Ukraine faces some of the most turbulent headwinds since Russia invaded in 2022. A political scandal involving kickbacks from a $100 million energy sector deal had already led to the resignations of two Ukrainian ministers before Mr. Yermak’s ouster.
Additionally, Russia has continued its bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plunging over 600,000 homes into darkness and putting intense strain on the country as the winter approaches.
