President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Donald Trump's Special Envoy Keith Kellogg ahead of a meeting with the U.S. president in Washington D.C. on Aug. 18.
Their meeting comes just hours before Zelensky sits down with the U.S. president following his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15.
"I thank General Kellogg for the meeting and for the joint work with our team," Zelensky wrote in a post on X. "President Trump invited Ukraine and other European countries to Washington today — this is the first meeting in such a format, and it is very serious."
Zelensky said the talks focused on the battlefield situation, Ukraine's diplomatic efforts, and the path to peace.
"Russia can only be forced into peace through strength, and President Trump has that strength,” Zelensky wrote, adding that Kyiv and its European partners were prepared to "continue working with maximum effort to end the war and to ensure reliable security."
The Ukrainian leader also noted that Russian overnight strikes killed civilians, including two children.
Kellogg was notably absent from Trump's recent meeting with Putin in Alaska. U.S. officials reportedly said Kellogg's presence was considered "counterproductive" because Moscow views him as sympathetic to Ukraine.
According to CNN, European officials privately voiced concern about his absence in Alaska, calling him the American figure with the deepest understanding of what terms Ukraine might consider in a deal.
European leaders will personally accompany Zelensky to Washington on Aug. 18 for his summit with Trump, officials confirmed.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are all expected to join Zelensky in Washington.
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