US President Donald Trump's envoy for the conflict in Ukraine met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday but there was no immediate word on whether their talks had helped smooth over an unprecedented wartime rift between the once firm allies.
Zelenskyy had earlier struck a conciliatory tone after accusing Trump of repeating Russian disinformation in response to the US president's accusation that Ukraine had started the three-year-old war with Russia. Trump went on to refer to Zelenskyy as a "dictator" who should act fast or lose Ukraine.
Trump, in office for just a month, is pushing for a quick deal to end the war and has alarmed Washington's European allies by leaving them and Ukraine out of initial talks with Russia. Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday he believed that an end to the conflict was near.
Trump's Ukraine and Russia envoy Keith Kellogg said on arriving in Kyiv on Wednesday that he was there to listen. The two men shook hands and patted each other on the backs as they met on Thursday. Zelenskyy smiled and said: "It's good to see you, how are you? ... thank you for coming."
There was no immediate word from either side on the outcome of the talks. Trump is seeking to re-establish ties with Russia and also invest in Ukraine's resources of minerals critical to the energy transition. Ukraine rejected an initial US plan as it did not include security guarantees.
White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said that Ukraine should rein in its criticism of the United States and agree to the minerals deal. "They need to tone it down and take a hard look and sign that deal," he told Fox News.
Security guarantees
European leaders have responded to Trump's apparent about-turn on Ukraine by pledging to step up defence spending and some are considering a US-backed European peacekeeping force for the country. The Kremlin termed the plan a major cause for concern but Zelenskyy and Nato have welcomed it.
"While there is much that still needs to be decided, there is no question that Europe has a vital role to play in securing peace in Ukraine," Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters in Bratislava, adding that this would entail robust security guarantees.
Zelenskyy told Ukrainians on Wednesday evening that it was crucial that his meeting with Kellogg, and cooperation with Washington in general, were "constructive". "We are standing strong. I am counting on Ukrainian unity, our courage ... on the unity of Europe and the pragmatism of America," he said.
Russian forces have laid Ukrainian cities, towns and villages to waste and are edging forward along parts of the 1,000-km front line across eastern and southern Ukraine. Moscow controls a fifth of Ukraine and claims ownership of more.
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