Yermak-led delegation meets with VP-elect Vance, members of Trump's team in Washington, media reports
Editor's note: This article has been updated on Dec. 5 to reflect additional details reported on the meetings.
A Ukrainian delegation, led by Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, met with top incoming government officials as well as aides to President-elect Donald Trump in Washington on Dec. 4, various media outlets reported.
Yermak, alongside Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova, met with Vice President-elect JD Vance on Capitol Hill, the Washington Post reported, ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The delegation, which reportedly included Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, and Deputy Minister of Defense for European Integration Sergiy Boyev, also met with incoming U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Ukraine peace envoy Keith Kellogg on Capitol Hill, a source told Reuters.
A meeting between Yermak and Trump's incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was also held on Dec. 4, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Ukrainska Pravda also reported, citing its sources, that Yermak had travelled to Florida to further meet with incoming officials, although it unclear as to who Yermak had met with while in the state. Florida is home to Trump's Mar-a-lago residence, where the president-elect has previously hosted world leaders.
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.
A source told CNN that the meetings were not intended as a means to discuss a potential peace plan but as a frank assessment of the battlefield. The source added that Ukrainian officials were pleased with the outcomes of the meetings and felt as though they reached their objective of providing the assessments to incoming administration officials.
The incoming government officials are expected to 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.
Kateryna Denisova
