Zelensky: Ukraine peace plan negotiators on way to US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that his negotiators had left for Washington to seek a "dignified peace" and a rapid end to the war begun by Russia in 2022.

The team is now led by former defence chief Rustem Umerov after last-moment changes amid a snowballing corruption scandal in Kiev.

The task is clear, Zelensky wrote on X - "to swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war."

Following the resignation on Friday of his chief of staff Andriy Yermak amid a corruption probe, the president appointed Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council and former defence minister, to head the delegation.

His country was talking to the US in the most constructive way possible, Zelensky said, stressing that "Ukraine is working for a dignified peace."

At Kiev's insistence, US President Donald Trump's 28-point plan was revised during talks in Geneva with European and US officials. However, there are still some contentious issues to resolve in Washington.

The negotiations were initially led by Zelensky's right-hand man Yermak, who resigned after his home was searched by corruption investigators. Zelensky then issued a decree reorganizing the team.

Umerov's name had also been mentioned in connection with the corruption probe, but he has denied any involvement.

He has also previously conducted negotiations with the Russian side on several occasions this year, with results including exchanges of prisoners and the remains of dead soldiers.

The previous chief negotiator, Yermak, had rejected Russia's demand for territorial concessions in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region as a condition for peace.