Head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office Meets Trump Team to Signal Readiness for Peace

A Ukrainian delegation, led by Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, has met with key members of Donald Trump’s transition team, including National Security Adviser nominee Mike Waltz, and Keith Kellogg, proposed to be the Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine.

Vice President-elect J.D. Vance also joined the talks, according to reports from Reuters and The Wall Street Journal.

The delegation reportedly included defense minister Rustem Umerov the Minister and the economics minister Yulia Svyrydenko. The team’s visit appears to focus on building ties with Trump’s incoming administration.

Earlier, Yermak reportedly met in Florida with Suzy Wiles, who is set to be the White House chief of staff under Trump.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Ukraine plans to announce its readiness for peace, though Yermak emphasized that any agreement must be sustainable.

“A temporary, unstable peace is not in the interests of Ukraine or the United States,” a source familiar with Kyiv’s position told the outlet.

The Trump transition team has not commented on the meetings, according to Reuters.

Ukraine continues to push for NATO membership as a cornerstone of its “victory plan” in the war with Russia.

In a recent Sky News interview, Zelensky proposed that a ceasefire could be achieved if NATO extends protection to territories that remain under Kyiv's control. This move, he suggested, could temporarily resolve the war, allowing for future diplomatic efforts to reclaim Russian-occupied regions.

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He emphasized the urgency of bringing unoccupied Ukrainian lands under NATO's umbrella while acknowledging that eastern areas currently under Russian control might remain outside of the remit of such a deal for now.

Meanwhile, NATO remains divided on inviting Ukraine into the alliance. Reuters reported no consensus among the 32 NATO members at a recent meeting of foreign ministers. Kyiv has rejected alternatives to full NATO membership.