Two-Front Diplomacy: Zelensky in Turkey, Trump Officials in Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launched a new round of peace efforts on Wednesday, holding talks in Turkey as US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and top American generals arrived in Kyiv on a parallel mission from the Trump administration to revive negotiations with both Kyiv and Moscow.

Zelensky arrived on a working visit to Turkey on Wednesday, Nov. 19, where he was met at the airport by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, Ankara Deputy Mayor Faruk Keyluoglu reported on X.

Video from Zelensky’s arrival shows Turkish officials greeting the Ukrainian president in the capital. Umerov, who traveled to Turkey a day earlier on a business trip, also appears in the footage.

Zelensky is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, later on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Zelensky announced a series of key international meetings this week, including Wednesday’s talks in Turkey.

He said the discussions would focus on intensifying diplomatic efforts and presenting Ukraine’s latest proposals to its partners.

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Zelensky emphasized that ending the war and securing the return of Ukrainian prisoners remain top priorities, adding that Ukraine is preparing new solutions to advance negotiations and resume prisoner exchanges.

Reuters’ Moscow bureau chief Guy Faulconbridge reported on X that Witkoff will join Zelensky for the talks in Turkey, citing a Turkish source.

At the same time, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Trump has sent a high-ranking delegation from the US Department of Defense to Kyiv.

According to the publication, citing senior US officials, the move represents the administration’s latest attempt to revive negotiations on ending the war.

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, along with two four-star generals, is expected to hold talks with Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials, as well as senior industry representatives.

Driscoll also plans to meet with Russian officials at a later date.

According to the WSJ, the White House opted to involve Driscoll and senior military officials partly out of a belief that Moscow may be more open to military-brokered talks, and out of frustration that previous diplomatic efforts produced little.

A senior Trump administration official said Driscoll was traveling to Ukraine to get “a feel for the facts on the ground.” He is expected to take part in the meetings and report back to the White House.

Another official said Driscoll’s mission is to revive peace talks on Trump’s behalf.

Ukraine and Russia held three rounds of talks in Istanbul in May, June, and July 2025.

Throughout the meetings, the Ukrainian delegation reiterated its readiness for an immediate ceasefire and outlined its core conditions: a full halt to hostilities, a “silence regime” along the entire front line, and an end to strikes on civilian infrastructure. Moscow, however, refused to agree to a ceasefire.

After the second round, Russia handed Kyiv a so-called “memorandum” containing several ultimatums – including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four regions, an end to Western military aid, the suspension of mobilization and martial law, the holding of elections, and a halt to what it called “subversive activity” against Russia.

The only concrete result of the talks was an agreement on a prisoner exchange.

Ukraine has recently restarted consultations – with mediation from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates – on a new prisoner-of-war exchange with Russia.

Umerov said on Saturday that the discussions aim to revive the “Istanbul agreements,” which include a plan to free roughly 1,200 Ukrainians held by Russia.

In October, President Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to negotiate with Moscow, but only on the basis of the current front line.

Last week, Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia told The Times that the broader negotiation process had stalled because the summer meetings in Istanbul produced no progress.

He said it was impossible to hold meaningful discussions with a delegation “representing a dictator,” noting that the Russian side operates under a rigid mandate and must strictly defend the position it is given.