Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenski, met on Thursday with the White House special representative for the Russian-Ukrainian war, Keith Kellogg, to convey Kiev's readiness to sign an agreement with the US on investments that also includes security guarantees for Ukraine, as reported by Efe.
"Ukraine is ready for a solid and effective agreement on investment and security with the President of the US," Zelenski wrote on his social media when informing about the meeting with Kellogg, after which no press conference was held at the explicit request of the US side, as explained by the Ukrainian presidential spokesperson, Sergiy Nikiforov.
"We have proposed the fastest and most constructive way to achieve results. Our team is ready to work 24/7," emphasized the Ukrainian president, who has so far rejected signing an agreement proposed by Washington last week, which required Ukraine to hand over half of its natural resources to the US as the document did not include any guarantees of continued support to Kiev.
The Kiev leader reiterated his interest in signing the agreement proposed by President Donald Trump for the US to recover the investment made in Ukraine's security after Trump himself urged him to do so in one of his recent statements.
Zelenski described the meeting with Kellogg as "productive", where he provided detailed information about the situation on the front.
The Ukrainian president and Trump's envoy also discussed how to ensure the return of prisoners of war and security guarantees that could ensure that Russia does not invade Ukraine again once peace is signed.
The press conference planned between the Ukrainian president and the US envoy to Ukraine was canceled at the requestof the United States, as reported by a Kiev official, according to AP.
Kellogg's trip to Kiev coincided with recent disputes between Trump and Zelenski that have strained their personal relationship and raised more doubts about the future of US support for Ukraine's efforts to defend against the Russian invasion.
Nikiforov did not provide any reason other than that the cancellation was in response to a request from the United States. The US delegation has not made any comments.
When the meeting started on Thursday, photographers and cameras were allowed into a room where the two shook hands before sitting across from each other at a table in the presidential office in Kiev. They were supposed to discuss Trump's efforts to end the nearly three-year war.
Zelenski welcomed Kellogg after being harshly criticized by Trump, who called him a "dictator" and suggested that Russia now holds "all the cards" in negotiations to end the war.
This diatribe has raised concerns about a rupture between Washington and Kiev, as Ukraine relies on US assistance to resist the Russian invasion that began three years ago.
The Kremlin announced on Thursday that it had decided with Washington to resume dialogue "in all parameters", declaring itself "absolutely in agreement" with the US position on Ukraine.
In this hostile context, Zelenski, weakened by this rapprochement between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, stated that he still hopes for "constructive" work during the meeting.
"Our future is not with Putin, but with peace. And it is a choice for everyone - including the most powerful - to be with Putin or to be with peace," he affirmed on the eve of the meeting.
Upon his arrival in Kiev on Wednesday, Keith Kellogg adopted a more conciliatory tone and stated that he understood Ukraine's need for "security guarantees."
Just days before the third anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, Zelenski recalled that Ukraine has wanted an end to this war "from its first seconds," after Trump accused him of starting the conflict.
Trump and Zelenski exchanged unprecedented personal attacks a day after negotiations between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia, the first meeting at the level of foreign ministers since the conflict began.
The US president then cited, among other things, two false figures about Zelenski's popularity and once again urged him to hold elections, while the war continues, millions of Ukrainians have fled abroad, and 20% of the territory is under Russian occupation.
"Dictator without elections, Zelenski should act quickly or he will have no country left," Trump declared on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
Prior to this latest accusation, Zelenski had criticized the White House tenant for living in "a space of Russian disinformation" and for helping Putin to "emerge from years of isolation".
Faced with the severity of Trump's accusations, the Ukrainian president received support from several European leaders, especially from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
"Ukraine is a democracy, Putin's Russia is not," stated a spokesperson for the European Union, Stefan Keersmaecker, who added that Zelenski had been "legitimately elected in free, fair, and democratic elections."
The Spanish Prime Minister, socialist Pedro Sánchez, announced that he would travel to Kiev on Monday, the day of the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, to "reaffirm Spain's support for Ukrainian democracy."