Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his officials will meet representatives of United States President Donald Trump in New York as part of intensified mediation efforts to end the war with Russia.

Speaking during his nightly address on Wednesday, Zelenskyy also announced the appointment of a new Ukrainian ambassador to the US, saying former Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna would replace Oksana Markarova, who has served in the role since 2021.

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Zelenskyy said he had outlined to Stefanishyna “the key tasks of invigorating the work of our embassy”.

“Much of Ukraine’s long-term security depends on relations with America,” he said, adding that assuring continued weapons transfers from the US was a top priority.

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, had earlier told US media he expected to hold talks with Ukrainian officials this week.

The US president had met Zelenskyy earlier this month, just days after holding a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Still, a proposed meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin has remained elusive, with Zelenskyy on Wednesday decrying “very arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations”.

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

The Ukrainian leader spoke as his government delegation has been touring the Middle East and Europe, visiting Qatar on Tuesday and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday before heading to Switzerland on Thursday.

In Riyadh, Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said in a post on Telegram that he had met with the Saudi defence minister and national security adviser.

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He said the talks were focused on paths to peace in Ukraine and Saudi Arabia’s participation in this process.

No direct meeting planned

Diplomatic activity has increased in recent weeks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

But despite Trump’s August 15 summit with Putin in Alaska and subsequent White House discussions with Zelenskyy and European leaders, little progress has been made in negotiations.

Putin has repeatedly demanded that any settlement include Russian control of the Donbas region of Ukraine, a position that Kyiv has roundly rejected.

Trump initially took a combative approach to Zelenskyy upon taking office in January, but has since softened his position while voicing increasing frustration with Putin.

He has remained sceptical of US aid to Ukraine, but earlier this week said that Washington will guarantee Ukraine’s security in any deal with Russia.

He has also threatened new sanctions on Moscow if talks continue to stall, but has remained ambiguous about Russia’s territorial ambitions.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump acknowledged the prospect of a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting remained uncertain.

That came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that no such meeting was planned, adding that Putin would be ready once a clear agenda was established.

Zelenskyy had earlier invited Putin to direct talks in Turkiye in May, but the Russian leader refused.

Fighting grinds on

Amid the diplomatic flurry, fighting continued in Ukraine on Wednesday.

In its daily update, Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Russian forces launched two missile strikes and 64 air strikes, including 109 guided aerial bombs, alongside 4,625 shelling attacks.

That included 21 barrages from multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and 3,891 kamikaze drones.

Air strikes targeted Stara Huta in the Sumy region, Bilohiria and Preobrazhenka in Zaporizhia, and Antonivka in Kherson, the statement said.

Russian forces also made ground, taking Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka in Dnipropetrovsk region, the monitoring group DeepState reported, while making gains near Shevchenko, Bila Hora, and Oleksandr-Shultyno.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its air defences shot down 191 Ukrainian drones, six guided aerial bombs, and a long-range guided missile in a single day, according to the state news agency TASS.