Zelensky, Trump envoy give no statement after Kiev meeting
KIEV
A planned news conference after talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy was canceled Thursday as political tensions deepened between the two countries over how to end the almost three-year war with Russia .
The format of the press event, which was to include comments to the media by Zelensky and retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg , was changed at the last minute so that the two did not deliver statements or field questions from journalists. The change was requested by the U.S. side, Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhii Nikiforov said.
Kellogg’s trip to Kiev coincided with recent feuding between Trump and Zelensky that has bruised their personal relations and cast further doubt on the future of U.S. support for Ukraine’s war effort.
Nikiforov gave no other reason other than that the cancellation was in accordance with U.S. wishes.
The U.S. delegation made no immediate comment. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about why the news conference was called off.
When the meeting began, photographers and video journalists were allowed into a room where the two men shook hands before sitting across from each other at a table at the presidential office in Kiev.
The two men were due to speak about Trump's efforts to end the war. Zelensky had previously said he looked forward to explaining what was happening in Ukraine and showing it to Kellogg.
Kellogg, one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book laying out an “America First” national security agenda, has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues.
Ukraine seeks strong security pact with US: Zelensky
Zelenskyemphasized the need for a strong security agreement with the U.S. to guarantee lasting peace.
Following a “productive meeting” with Kellogg, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Washington’s ongoing assistance and bipartisan support for Ukraine amid its war with Russia.
It’s important for us—and for the entire free world—that American strength is felt,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on X. He noted that the meeting focused on the battlefield situation, efforts to bring Ukrainian prisoners of war home, and discussions on effective security guarantees.
“From the very first second of this war, Ukraine has sought peace. We must and can ensure that peace is strong and lasting—so that Russia can never return with war,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader stressed his country’s readiness to sign a “strong, effective investment and security agreement” with Trump, proposing the “fastest and most constructive” approach to achieving results.
“Our team is ready to work 24/7,” he added, underlining the importance of solid Ukraine-U.S. ties. “Success unites us all. Strong Ukraine-U.S. relations benefit the entire world.”
Zelenskyy also thanked Kellogg for the “joint work to achieve important results” in strengthening Ukraine’s defense and international support.
NATO chief optimistic about U.S. peace talks for Ukraine
NATO's secretary-general on Thursday expressed optimism about the U.S. initiative for peace in Ukraine during a speech at Comenius University in Slovakia.
"I have confidence in the team in the U.S. negotiating this," Mark Rutte said in response to a question about Ukraine's support for a potential U.S.-Russia deal.
He also reiterated the need for Ukraine’s presence in the negotiations, adding that he is not “really worried” about this issue as it is an “early stage,” and they would be involved.
“No doubt Ukraine will be involved in peace talks,” he said.
Zelensky and Trump have traded rebukes in recent days.
The spat erupted after Russia and the U.S. agreed Tuesday to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties. With that, Trump abruptly reversed the three-year U.S. policy of isolating Russia.
Zelensky was unhappy that a U.S. team opened the talks without inviting him or European governments that have backed Kiev.
When Trump claimed Zelensky was deeply unpopular in Ukraine, the president said Trump was living in a Russian-made “disinformation space,” suggesting he had been duped by Putin.
But Zelensky “retains a fairly high level of public trust” — about 57 percent — according to a report released Wednesday by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology.
Trump accused Zelensky of being “A Dictator without Elections!!” Due to the war, Ukraine did delay elections that were scheduled for April 2024.
Trump also suggested that Ukraine was to blame for the war.
Russia’s army crossed the border on Feb. 24, 2022, in an all-out invasion that Putin sought to justify by falsely saying it was needed to protect Russian-speaking civilians in eastern Ukraine and prevent the country from joining NATO.
On Wednesday, Trump warned Zelensky that he “better move fast” to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or risk not having a nation to lead.
European leaders also commented on the feud, throwing their support behind Zelensky.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz whose country has been Kiev’s second-biggest weapons supplier after the U.S., said it was “wrong and dangerous” to deny Zelensky’s democratic legitimacy.
Ukraine has been defending itself for nearly three years against a merciless war of aggression — day after day,” Scholz told news outlet Der Spiegel.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to Zelensky on Wednesday and expressed support for him "as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader,” Starmer’s office said, adding that it was “perfectly reasonable” to postpone elections during wartime.
Russian officials, meanwhile, are basking in Washington’s attention and offering words of support for Trump’s stance.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “the rhetoric of Zelensky and many representatives of the Kiev regime in general leaves much to be desired” — a veiled reference to Ukrainian criticism of Putin.
“Representatives of the Ukrainian regime, especially in recent months, often allow themselves to make statements about the heads of other states that are completely unacceptable,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
Amid the diplomatic clamor, Ukrainian civilians continue to endure Russian strikes. Russia fired 161 Shahed and decoy drones and up to 14 missiles of various types at Ukraine overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, according to military authorities.
A Russian glide bomb struck an apartment block in the southern city of Kherson on Wednesday night, killing one person and wounding six, including 14-year-old twins, authorities said.
The southern port city of Odesa also came under a Russian drone attack for the second consecutive night, leaving almost 50,000 homes without electricity in freezing winter temperatures, officials said.
