
Zelenskyy sends chief negotiator to US for fresh peace talks
The trip by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov comes as negotiations mediated by Washington seem to have hit a wall.

The trip by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov comes as negotiations mediated by Washington seem to have hit a wall.

Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said earlier that Rustem Umerov would skip a meeting of Verkhovna Rada’s temporary commission investigating the case of businessman Timur Mindich

MP Irina Gerashchenko is calling for a parliamentary committee on national security to summon Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, along with representatives from Fire Point

Ukrainskaya Pravda published recordings of businessman Timur Mindich discussing defense contracts with then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, including drone financing and substandard body armor purchases worth $5.2 million. Recordings also reveal conversations with Zelensky associate Sergey Shefir about pooling money for bail, and discussions of building mansions for Zelensky and Yermak. The NABU and SAPO have been investigating Operation Midas, a major corruption scheme in Ukraine's energy sector since November 2025.