Zelenskyy taps security chief to lead Ukraine peace delegation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday signed a decree appointing Rustem Umerov, secretary of the country's National Security and Defense Council, to lead Ukraine's delegation for peace negotiations.

"Approve the new composition of the Ukrainian delegation for participation in the negotiation process with the US and other international partners: Rustem Enverovich Umerov-Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, head of the delegation," said the decree, posted on the presidential website.

Umerov replaced Andriy Yermak, who served as the head of the presidential administration before being dismissed this week amid allegations of corruption.

According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine's delegation will hold talks with the US late next week. It includes Commander-in-Chief Andriy Hnatov and representatives from the Foreign Ministry, National Security and Defense Council, and intelligence services.

The coming round of contacts with Washington follows recent US-Ukrainian discussions in Geneva over a draft peace proposal.

US President Donald Trump said this week that "something good" may be emerging in the negotiations, though he cautioned that progress should be judged only by tangible results.

If it does not end before then, the war in Ukraine is set to marks its fourth anniversary in February.