Zelenskyy says Kyiv expects visit from Trump envoys ‘at the turn of spring and summer’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that Kyiv expects a visit by US President Donald Trump’s special envoys “at the turn of spring and summer.”

In a statement on the US social media platform X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov held “substantive” talks in Miami.

“We hope this time we will be able to realize what has been planned and reinvigorate diplomacy,” Zelenskyy wrote after receiving a briefing from Umerov, who also serves as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

He said humanitarian issues, including the continuation of prisoner-of-war exchanges, were discussed during the talks.

“We are refining the details of arrangements that can guarantee security,” Zelenskyy said.

“Importantly, there is a constructive approach, and we need to move toward peace by strengthening Ukraine and our bilateral relations with the United States,” he added.

A White House official confirmed to Anadolu on Wednesday that Umerov would meet US envoy Steve Witkoff in Florida this week.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine’s chief negotiator would hold talks with US envoys in Miami.

In another statement on US social media company X, Zelenskyy said he had been briefed by Umerov on the planned talks and that they had defined “key tasks,” including humanitarian issues, reviving peace negotiations and bilateral cooperation.

Commenting on his meeting with Witkoff, Umerov said on X that their main focus was on humanitarian issues, particularly the return of Ukrainian prisoners, which he described as one of Kyiv’s key priorities.

“We also discussed the need to intensify the diplomatic process and coordinate further steps toward achieving a dignified peace,” Umerov said, noting that he briefed Zelenskyy after the meeting.

“I thank the American side for the constructive dialogue and support for Ukraine,” he added.

The meeting between Witkoff and Umerov comes amid a slowdown in negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, as the Russia-Ukraine war has received less international attention in recent months following the US-Israeli war against Iran.