U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy are scheduled to meet in Washington on Tuesday, a White House official said on Friday.
A Ukrainian source said Zelenskiy was interested in traveling to the United States but his team was waiting for official confirmation of Trump's schedule from the White House.
The source added that Ukrainians and U.S. officials had been discussing a proposal for an air ceasefire to take to Russian officials, as part of a new round of peace proposals to try to end the war that began in 2022 with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The source said Ukraine had approached Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past with offers of a ceasefire, which had been turned down. However, some officials believe that pressure on Russia's economy from ongoing Ukrainian drone and missile strikes may soften Putin's stance.
Zelenskiy spoke on Wednesday with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about the prospects for renewed peace talks with Russia, and said that Ukrainian and U.S. officials could meet in the United States in the coming days.
Acting Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara, writing on Telegram, said he and new Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi had met U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker on Friday in Kyiv and discussed different factors in confronting Russia on the battlefield.
"We have a strong synergy and shared vision of the war with Commander Drapatyi: technological superiority, asymmetric solutions, and more opportunities to destroy the enemy," Khmara said. "We informed our partners about the situation on the front and Ukraine's steps to force Russia into a fair peace."
Earlier on Friday, right-wing activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer interviewed Zelenskiy and said he had told her he would likely be in the United States next week for a trip that would include a meeting with Trump.
Loomer, in a post on X, added that Zelenskiy said he would attend the funeral for U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who died earlier this month. A memorial service for the Republican lawmaker will be held on Tuesday in Washington, where Trump will make remarks ahead of a funeral in Graham's home state of South Carolina on Wednesday.
Graham was a major supporter of Ukraine, traveling there 10 times since the Russian invasion. He pushed for sanctions on Russia as well as U.S. backing for Kyiv.
