Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has held talks with US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Washington DC, ahead of what he described as a “very serious” meeting later today with former US President Donald Trump and European leaders.
In a post on social media, Zelensky said Russia “can only be forced into peace through strength” and praised Trump’s ability to exert such pressure. He added that Ukraine remained committed to ending the war “with maximum effort” and securing reliable long-term security.
“We must do everything right so that peace really comes,” he wrote. “When peace is discussed for one country in Europe, it means peace for all of Europe.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha reinforced Kyiv’s position that it will not concede any territory, despite Trump’s recent post on Truth Social suggesting Ukraine would not regain Crimea.
“The Ukrainian president went [to Washington], as always, with the strong position coordinated with all allies: Crimea is Ukraine,” Sybiha said.
He described the Washington talks as a decisive moment, with hopes of achieving “further progress, a clearer understanding of the parameters of future security guarantees, and groundwork for a possible trilateral meeting between Zelensky, Putin, and Trump, with the involvement of other allied leaders.”
Sybiha also dismissed Russian demands for limits on Ukraine’s military, calling them “unacceptable.”
