CNN details Ukrainian delegation's meeting with Trump's team
Photo: Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
On Wednesday, Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, met with members of the newly elected US President Donald Trump's team. However, the talks did not focus on peace or ending the war in Ukraine, according to CNN.
According to three sources, the meeting in Washington included Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on the US side. Andriy Yermak and Deputy Defense Minister for European Integration Serhii Boyev represented Ukraine.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of President-elect Trump signaling significant policy shifts regarding Ukraine, with an expressed aim to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Despite this context, the discussions were not centered on a potential peace plan or conflict resolution. Instead, Ukrainian officials sought to convey their assessment of the situation and build relationships with Waltz and Vance. One source indicated that Ukraine achieved these objectives and left the meeting satisfied.
CNN noted that the hour-long meeting primarily focused on Ukraine’s assessment of the battlefield situation.
“The Ukrainians offered a broad outline of their defense strategy but did not go into granular details. Waltz and Vance were primarily in listening mode,” a source said.
Additionally, CNN clarified that the Ukrainian delegation did not meet with Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, during their Wednesday visit. A source explained that Kellogg had previously visited Ukraine and was already known to Yermak, eliminating the need for an initial meeting to establish personal connections.
One CNN source also revealed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy currently has no plans to meet with Trump before his inauguration.
As a reminder, nearly 24 hours earlier, Reuters reported on the Ukrainian delegation's meeting. While Reuters did not provide details on the discussion topics, its sources suggested Kellogg was present on the US side.
