Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cast his talks with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg in a positive light on February 20 despite a further sign of tension when a planned joint news conference was canceled.
Zelenskyy said in his evening address that the meeting with Kellogg “restores hope” and reiterated that Ukraine needs strong agreements with the United States.
“I gave instructions to work swiftly and very sensibly. Economy and security must always go hand in hand, and the details of the agreements matter -- the better they are structured, the greater the results,” Zelenskyy said.
He and Kellogg discussed the situation along the front line, the need to release all Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia, and the need for a reliable and clear system of security guarantees that ensure the war “will never return and that Russians will never again destroy lives.”
The meeting, which ended without the planned joint press conference and no comment from Kellogg, came as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end the war. Trump alarmed European allies and Ukraine by leaving them out of initial talks with Russia that took place in Saudi Arabia on February 18.
SEE ALSO: What We Learned From High-Stakes U.S.-Russia Talks In Saudi ArabiaHe lashed out a day later against the Ukrainian president, suggesting he started the war and calling him a “dictator.”
White House national-security adviser Mike Waltz on February 20 tried to shift the narrative back to a potential deal involving Ukraine's rare mineral deposits.
"He needs to come back to the table," Waltz said at a press conference at the White House, urging Zelenskyy to reach an agreement soon granting the United States access to the minerals, which are critical in the manufacture of high-tech equipment and batteries for electric cars.
Zelenskyy previously rejected a proposal that would reportedly hand the United States $500 billion in mineral wealth, including rare-earth elements, as a form of payment for U.S. military and financial support for Kyiv's defense against the full-scale invasion that Russia launched in February 2022.
Zelenskyy has pointed out that the value of U.S. wartime aid so far is far less and that the U.S. proposal did not offer concrete security guarantees.
Zelenskyy also spoke by phone on February 20 with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss the latest diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Macron said on X that he used the call to advise Zelenskyy about all the contacts he had made with European partners and allies that are “keen to work toward a lasting and solid peace for Ukraine and to strengthen Europe's security."
It was his fourth call with Zelenskyy this week. Macron is due to meet Trump in Washington on February 24.
Macron said he will urge Trump to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and try to convince him that the interests of the United States and Europe are in line with one another.
"I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of [Putin]," Macron said.
Macron hosted a summit of European heads of state and prime ministers on February 17 to discuss the question of European peacekeeping forces to secure a possible cease-fire.
Trump is also expecting a visit from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer next week. the White House said that meeting has been set for February 27.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed in his call with Zelenskyy that any deal to end the war must include Kyiv at the negotiating table, his office said.
Trudeau reiterated Canada's support for Ukraine and "emphasized that there can be no sustainable peace in Europe without security for Ukraine," according to the statement.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned on February 20 that he saw no indication that Russia wants peace in Ukraine after listening to a speech by Russia's top diplomat at a Group of 20 meeting in South Africa.
Lammy was speaking to reporters after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed other senior diplomats in a closed-door session at the G20 foreign ministers meeting. No details of Lavrov's speech were released. Lammy referred to it as “the Russian gentleman’s tired fabrications.”
Lammy said he was hoping to hear some sympathy for the innocent victims of the aggression or some readiness to seek a durable peace.
“What I heard was the logic of imperialism dressed up as a realpolitik,” he said. “I say to you all, we should not be surprised, but neither should we be fooled.”
Lammy said that Lavrov left his seat in the meeting room when it was Lammy's turn to speak.
Tensions at the meeting were underlined when a photo opportunity for the foreign ministers to pose together for pictures was canceled with no reason given.