Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Saturday that a high-level delegation led by National Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov is traveling to the United States to continue negotiations on a framework to end the war with Russia. The delegation’s departure comes at a time of growing political and military pressure in Kyiv. Umerov, formerly Ukraine’s defense minister, was appointed chief negotiator after the sudden resignation of Zelenskyy’s influential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who stepped down Friday following an anti-corruption search of his apartment.

Zelenskyy said the U.S. talks will build on discussions held last weekend in Geneva, where Ukrainian officials presented a counter-proposal to a U.S.-drafted peace plan first introduced by Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll during meetings in Kyiv two weeks earlier.

“Rustem delivered a report today, and the task is clear: to swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. He added that the next phase of talks, scheduled for Sunday in Washington, is expected to finalize key elements of a potential agreement.

Speaking to the New York Post soon after his resignation, Yermak said he was “going to the front,” describing himself as “an honest and decent person.” His exit—following the departures of two ministers connected to a $100 million corruption scandal in the energy sector—has intensified scrutiny of Zelenskyy’s administration, already under pressure from Ukrainian lawmakers and international partners.

Washington has reportedly urged Kyiv to move toward a peace accord that could end the conflict under terms involving territorial concessions and security guarantees. Inside Ukraine, such proposals remain deeply divisive as public opinion hardens against compromise after years of devastating losses.

On the battlefield, Russian forces continue to make gradual gains along the front lines, while major Ukrainian cities face rolling blackouts amid ongoing missile and drone attacks targeting energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy acknowledged the country is facing one of the most challenging periods in its history but vowed in a recent televised address that he “will not betray the country.”

The upcoming round of negotiations may determine whether Ukraine enters the winter with a credible path toward peace or heads into another prolonged stage of the conflict.