Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ramping up global diplomatic efforts to secure a peace agreement, sending a negotiating team to the United States while planning a visit to Paris, even as his government faces a corruption scandal and Russia escalates air strikes across Ukraine.
Zelensky announced that the U.S.-bound delegation is tasked with advancing a “dignified peace” and ending Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. The team is led by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council and a former defense minister, replacing Andriy Yermak, who resigned amid a major corruption probe.
A senior U.S. official confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner will meet the Ukrainian delegation in Florida on November 30. Witkoff is also scheduled to travel to Moscow next week as part of efforts to finalize a controversial U.S. peace proposal.
Meanwhile, French authorities announced that President Emmanuel Macron will host Zelensky in Paris on December 1 to discuss the conditions for a “just and lasting peace.” European allies, including France, the UK, and Germany, are working on a modified peace plan after the U.S. proposed a 28-point plan widely criticized for favoring Russian positions.
The original 28-point plan reportedly angered Zelensky and Ukrainian officials, prompting bilateral discussions with U.S. representatives. The revised 19-point plan still leaves critical issues unresolved, including the status of parts of Donetsk, Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, and potential limitations on Kyiv’s armed forces.
Diplomatic efforts come after a tumultuous week in Kyiv, culminating in the resignation of Yermak, Zelensky’s powerful chief of staff. His resignation followed anti-corruption raids linked to alleged misappropriation of tens of millions of dollars intended for Ukraine’s sensitive energy infrastructure. While Yermak has not been directly charged and cooperated fully, the scandal represents the largest political crisis of Zelensky’s six-year presidency.
At the same time, Russia has intensified air strikes, targeting Kyiv and other regions, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity as winter temperatures drop. The attacks have killed at least three people and injured dozens, prompting Zelensky to call for additional defensive weaponry to protect Ukrainian cities.
In retaliation, Ukraine has struck Russian targets that support Moscow’s war effort. Ukrainian forces reported attacks on the Afipski Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai and the Beriev military aviation plant in Rostov region. Sources also reported the use of maritime drones against two tankers of Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea, which Moscow allegedly uses to circumvent Western sanctions.
Zelensky emphasized the urgency of defense preparations:
“We must work without losing a single day to ensure sufficient missiles for our air defense systems and that everything necessary for our defense and pressure on Russia is in place.”
