Zelenskyy Announces High-Level Ukrainian Delegation to Visit Washington Next Week
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that a delegation of top Ukrainian officials will travel to the United States early next week for talks on strengthening defense cooperation, tightening sanctions against Russia, and discussing the possible use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s war effort.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Bloomberg.
The delegation will be led by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, and Presidential Envoy for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv.
According to the president, the negotiations will focus on the supply of additional air defense systems, energy cooperation, and measures to block Russia’s efforts to evade sanctions.
Kyiv will also raise the issue of frozen Russian sovereign assets held in the U.S., which Ukraine hopes to channel toward defense and reconstruction needs.
As reported by Bloomberg, Ukraine’s visit comes amid a renewed diplomatic push to deepen U.S.-Ukrainian coordination following intensified Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, which have knocked out more than half of Ukraine’s natural gas output. Kyiv has warned it will need to increase gas imports by nearly one-third as winter approaches.
Ukraine is urging its allies to authorize the use of frozen Russian funds to finance its defense and recovery, as Moscow continues to stall any meaningful peace talks.
Next week, finance ministers from the G7 nations, including the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada, are also expected to meet to consider new restrictions targeting key sectors of Russia’s economy, such as energy, finance, and military production.
Zelenskyy said that dialogue with the Trump administration has remained active since his meeting with the U.S. president on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last month.
“Despite the cold weather outside, our relations remain warm at various levels,” Zelenskyy said, noting ongoing engagement with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and the Department of Defense.
The Ukrainian president also highlighted the role of U.S. intelligence and military cooperation in enabling advanced Western air defense systems, including Patriot, NASAMS, and Iris-T, to operate effectively.
“We’re working closely with U.S. intelligence. All our air defense systems would have limited capability without that support. Now it’s an important signal – strengthening Ukraine by every available means,” Zelenskyy stated.
As The Gaze reported earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to understand how Ukraine intends to use U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles before deciding whether to authorize their transfer.