Ukraine officials to meet Trump's envoy in a pressure on breakthrough in the stationary Russia Peace Conversations

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday (August 27) that members of his administration will meet with US New York officials on Friday as part of the ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia. “On Friday, meetings in New York, in the United States, will take place with President Trump’s team,” Zelensky said during his daily speech on social media, adding that these meetings are following in Switzerland on Thursday. The announcement comes amid a flurry of recent diplomacy, including mediation conversations in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Zelensky noted that his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and former defense Minister Rusem Umerov participated in talks in Qatar on Tuesday. Trump’s mediation efforts by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told American Media earlier that he would meet Ukrainian representatives this week. Trump expressed a desire to arrange a meeting face to face between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky, although the progress was slow. Moscow and Kyiv still blame each other for the stationary negotiations. Zelensky emphasized the importance of Western security guarantees before any peace agreement is concluded: “Many arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations,” he said. “Pressure must be exerted to force Russia to take real steps.” Olga Stefanishyna has named a new Ukrainian ambassador to the US in a related announcement, and Zelensky has appointed Olga Stefanishyna as the new ambassador of Ukraine in the United States. Stefanishyna, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, succeeds Oeksana Markarova, who has been overseeing US assistance to Ukraine since 2021. “In many ways, the long -term safety of Ukraine depends on its relations with America,” Zelensky said during his assignment. He added that Ukraine proposed agreements with Washington that allow Kyiv’s European allies to buy US weapons and deliver Ukrainian drones to the United States. Stefanishyna also previously served as the Minister of European Integration of Ukraine and played a role in negotiations with the US over the rare minerals of Ukraine.