KYIV, Ukraine, Aug 28, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that members of his administration would meet with US officials in New York on Friday as part of ongoing efforts to end the war with Russia.

US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff had earlier indicated to American media that he'll meet Ukrainian representatives this week.

"Friday, meetings will take place in New York, in the United States, with President Trump's team" following "meetings in Switzerland" Thursday, Zelensky said in his daily address on social media.

According to Zelensky, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak and former defence minister Rustem Umerov took part in mediation talks in Qatar on Tuesday and there were further meetings Wednesday in Saudi Arabia.

Diplomatic efforts to end the war have accelerated in recent weeks following a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump in Alaska, which in turn was followed by a meeting in Washington between Trump and Zelensky, accompanied by his European allies.

Trump has said he wants to arrange a face-to-face meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, but there has been little progress, with Moscow and Kyiv each blaming the other for the impasse.

Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine wants security guarantees from the West to deter any future Russian attacks.

On Wednesday, Zelensky said he saw "very arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations."

He called for "pressure" to be exerted to "force Russia to take real steps."