Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Keith Kellogg, the US special representative for Ukraine, during his Washington visit on 18 August, according to sources who spoke to Suspilne.
The meeting included several high-ranking Ukrainian officials: Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, his deputies Pavlo Palisa and Ihor Brusylo, Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova, and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov. Zelenskyy later confirmed the meeting on X platform.
“We discussed the situation on the battlefield, our strong diplomatic capabilities – of Ukraine and all of Europe together with America. Russia can only be forced to peace through strength, and President Trump has such strength,” Zelenskyy wrote.
The Ukrainian delegation’s schedule includes separate meetings with European officials before the Trump encounter. According to sources, these meetings will be held individually rather than collectively.
Zelenskyy and Trump are scheduled to meet at 8:15 pm Kyiv time in Washington, followed by a multilateral meeting with EU leaders at 10:00 pm. The European delegation accompanying Zelenskyy to the US includes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
This gathering follows the 15 August Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, which took place without Ukrainian or European participation at Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage. Zelenskyy characterized that meeting as “Putin’s personal victory,” stating that the Russian leader seeks only to escape international isolation and delay sanctions rather than pursue genuine peace.
The Alaska meeting operated in a “three on three” format. Trump’s delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Representative Steve Witkoff, while Putin brought his aide Yuri Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Following their discussions, both leaders issued statements. Trump declared that “there is no deal, but significant progress has been made” and expressed his desire for relations with Russia after the war’s conclusion. Putin reported that Trump was attempting to help resolve the Ukrainian issue and expressed hope that the reached understanding would contribute to peace.
Planned expanded negotiations between the US and Russian delegations were subsequently canceled, the Wall Street Journal reports. Both leaders departed the base immediately after their bilateral meeting.
Trump conducted phone conversations with Zelenskyy and EU and NATO leaders following his Putin encounter.