Yermak-led delegation meets with Trump's team in Washington, Reuters reports

A Ukrainian delegation, led by Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, met with top aides to President-elect Donald Trump in Washington on Dec. 4, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the meeting.

The delegation, which reportedly included Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, met with incoming U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Ukraine peace envoy Keith Kellogg, the source told Reuters.

No details were immediately available as to any specific outcomes of the discussions. Trump's transition team did not respond to Reuters' request for comment on the meeting.

Both Waltz and Kellogg will play a key role in shaping expected future negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow after Trump is inaugurated in January.

While Trump has pledged to get the U.S. "out" of Russia's war and negotiate a quick peace deal, Ukrainian officials have urged the president-elect to maintain support and adopt a "peace through strength" approach in dealings with Russia.

Kellogg previously co-authored a peace plan that would freeze the front line in Ukraine, take NATO's accession off the table for an extended period, and partially lift sanctions against Russia.

According to his proposals, the U.S. will continue sending military aid to Ukraine and provide security guarantees to Kyiv to prevent further Russian aggression.

Ahead of Trump's inauguration, outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Dec. 4 that Ukraine is set to receive $50 billion in frozen Russian assets held by the United States and the European Union in the "coming weeks."

Also on Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that he will not put to a vote a request for an additional $24 billion in aid to Ukraine following reports that President Joe Biden was quietly asking Congress to green light further assistance to Kyiv before he leaves office.

House Speaker rejects Biden’s request for additional $24 billion in Ukraine aid

“It is not the place of Joe Biden to make that decision now, we have a newly elected president, and we are going to wait and take the new commander in chief’s direction on all that, so I don’t expect any Ukraine funding to come up now,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

Source link

Related posts:

Trump's pick for Ukraine envoy backs 'peace through strength,' security guarantees Ukraine war latest: Trump hints he won't 'abandon' Kyiv but opposes Ukraine launching US missiles inside Russia How will Russia's war in Ukraine end? The good, the bad, and the ugly scenarios War will be 'resolved in next few months,' Trump's Ukraine peace envoy believes, plans to 'listen' ahead of peace talks Precarious road to Republican US support of Ukraine runs through evangelicals What we know about Trump's plans for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine Biden administration sharing information on Ukraine war with Trump's team ahead of potential peace talks, NBC reports Ukraine war latest: Russian An-72 military transport plane damaged in blast near Moscow, Ukraine's intel claims