Zelenskyy after meeting with Kellogg: Ukraine is ready for "strong" security and investment deal with US

On 20 February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is ready for a “strong, truly beneficial” agreement with the US on investment and security, following a meeting with US Special Representative for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.

Previously, Zelenskyy refused to sign a US agreement on resource transfers worth $500 billion, stating that Ukraine had received only $98.5 billion from the US since 2022. The agreement also lacked security guarantees or assurances of further military aid, alongside other unfavorable terms. The French newspaper Le Monde compared the deal to “racketeering.”

“A good conversation, a lot of details. I am grateful to the US for all the assistance provided and for the bipartisan support of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. It is important for us and the entire free world that American strength is felt. We discussed in detail the battlefield situation, ways to bring all our prisoners home, and effective security guarantees,” Zelenskyy stated.

The Ukrainian president reiterated that Kyiv has sought peace since the start of Russia’s all-out war. He emphasized that, together with Washington, Kyiv can and must ensure a lasting and reliable peace, preventing Russia from ever returning with war.

“Ukraine is ready for a strong, truly beneficial agreement with the US’s president on investment and security. We have proposed the fastest and most constructive path to achieving results. Our team is ready to work around the clock. Success unites. Everyone in the world needs success in relations with the US. I thank General Kellogg for our joint work toward achieving important results,” Zelenskyy added.

Earlier, the report said that Zelenskyy’s decision to reject the first deal proposed by the US, his criticism of Ukraine’s exclusion from official US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, and the refusal to hold elections without security guarantees triggered a series of statements from Trump.

He claimed that Ukraine needs to hold elections because Zelenskyy’s approval rating is only 4%, contradicting the latest official surveys, which show that 57% of Ukrainians support him. Zelenskyy responded, stating that Trump lives in a Russian-made “disinformation bubble.”

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Zelenskyy after meeting with Kellogg: Ukraine is ready for “strong” security and investment deal with US