Ukraine preparing new meeting of national security advisers, Secretary Rubio expected to attend
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine wants to hold another meeting of national security advisors with the participation of the United States, Britain, France, and Germany, but there is no exact date for the meeting so far, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told journalists.
The meeting at the level of national security advisers will continue the latest talks in London and Paris last month.
“I'm not ready to give a date now, because there have been some changes in the United States,” the president said, referring to the firing of the US president's advisor Mike Waltz.
Zelenskyy hinted that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio might attend the meeting, as he was assigned Waltz's duties.
“I think that the powers of the national security adviser will probably be with the Secretary of State, Rubio, and the meeting of advisers will be in this format. No one will be expecting a new nominee, I think. What is happening now is that all the advisors from all countries, without Russia, America, Europe, and Ukraine are in contact: yesterday, today, and the day before yesterday,” he said.
Zelenskyy believes that Ukraine, together with Europe, conveyed the correct position to the United States, but Russians rejected it.
“Witkoff (US President Donald Trump's special envoy - ed.) showed the proposals, and, of course, the proposals were not accepted by the Russians. I think he was very surprised because, from the embrace of the first meetings and dinners, the first acquaintances, I think he is coming to a phase in which everything will get worse and worse,” the president said.
Negotiations on Ukraine in London
On April 23, Ukraine, the United States, Britain, France, and Germany held talks in London. A ministerial meeting was expected, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ignored it.
Lower-level talks with national security advisors took place in London. Keith Kellogg, the US President's envoy for Ukraine, was present at the talks.
According to media reports, Rubio boycotted the talks in London because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused a key US proposal to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
Zelenskyy later said that other proposals had been developed in London and passed on to Donald Trump.
