Head of Zelenskyy's Office and Defense Minister reveal details of meeting with Kellogg
Photo: Ukrainian delegation held talks with Kellogg in London (t.me/ermaka2022)
The Ukrainian delegation held talks on Wednesday, April 23, with Keith Kellogg, the US President’s special envoy for Ukraine. The discussions focused in particular on a ceasefire and security guarantees, according to the Telegram channel of the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, and a statement by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov during a national telethon live broadcast.
According to Umerov, the first meeting in London was held in a two-plus-two format — two defense ministers and two foreign ministers. Afterwards, the talks continued in a format involving national security advisors from Germany, the UK, and France.
"In this Coalition of the Willing format, we discussed the preliminary steps that had been developed… I won’t go into details now, I’ll report them to the president later," the minister added.
Following the meeting with the national security advisors, the Ukrainian delegation held talks with the US representative.
"We’re demonstrating openness to a peaceful resolution… We discussed our consistent position, as well as a ceasefire and security guarantees. From my point of view, the meeting was very productive and successful," Umerov said.
"We conveyed our position and emphasized that an immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire must be the first step toward initiating negotiations for a just and lasting peace. We expressed hope that this aligns with the vision of US President Donald Trump," Yermak stated.
According to the Head of the President’s Office, during the conversation with Kellogg, he made clear that under any circumstances, Ukraine will defend its core positions in negotiations, as they represent the foundations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"We agreed to continue the dialogue and maintain regular contact," Yermak added.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also spoke about the meeting with Keith Kellogg.
"During our meeting with US Special Envoy General Keith Kellogg, we had a constructive exchange of views on the path to peace. Ukraine wants the war to end more than anyone else in the world. We are committed to working together to achieve this goal," he wrote on Twitter (X).
Trump criticizes Zelenskyy’s statement on Crimea
US President Donald Trump said today that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s remarks about Ukraine not recognizing the occupation of Crimea harm peace negotiations with Russia. According to Trump, Crimea was lost many years ago under former US President Barack Obama and is "not even up for discussion."
"Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired? The area also houses, for many years before "the Obama handover," major Russian submarine bases. It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War," Trump wrote.
He added that Ukraine is now in a difficult situation: “He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country.”
"I have nothing to do with Russia, but have much to do with wanting to save, on average, five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, who are dying for no reason whatsoever," Trump stated.
The American president believes Zelenskyy’s statement about Crimea “will do nothing but prolong the killing field, and nobody wants that.”
US involvement in the London talks
On April 22, it was reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff would skip the meeting in London.
According to Western media, the US was displeased with Ukraine’s refusal to support the American proposal to recognize Crimea as Russian territory.
However, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that the US would be represented at the talks by Keith Kellogg, the special envoy on Ukraine.
Today, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said that Ukraine, the UK, France, and Germany held an important meeting in London focused on achieving peace with Russia. He did not mention any US representatives in his statement.
Later, Ukrainian presidential communications advisor Dmytro Lytvyn confirmed to reporters that US special envoy Keith Kellogg did, in fact, take part in the London negotiations, thereby confirming the US presence at the meeting.
