Who Is Rustem Umerov? Zelensky Sends Man 'Best Known' For Negotiating With Russia To US For Peace Talks

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that a delegation headed by security council secretary Rustem Umerov was on its way to the United States to continue talks on an agreement to end Russia's war.

In 2022, Umerov headed Ukraine's State Property Fund, but was best known for negotiating with Russia and for organising successful prisoner exchanges, BBC had reported earlier. Umerov stepped in as charge of the Ukrainian delegation after Zelensky's powerful chief of staff Andriy Yermak abruptly resigned on Friday - just hours after anti-corruption investigators searched his apartment.

Zelensky, in a social media post on X said he expected that the results of previous meetings with the US in Geneva, which took place last weekend, would now be "hammered out" on Sunday.

Who is Rustem Umerov?

Rustem Umerov replaced Andriy Yermak as Ukraine security council secretary. Though not entirely unfamiliar to Ukrainian politics, Umerov – reportedly – has rarely been in the public eye. Born in exile, the Crimean Tatar is an active member of the ethnic community.

Rustem Umerov came into politics in 2019 when he ran for parliament with the reformist "Holos" party, which he later left to become a government official.

Before that he worked in the private sector, first in telecoms and later in investment.

What Zelensky said?

Speaking about the peace talks, Zelensky posted on X that Rustem had already delivered a report on Saturday.

"Rustem delivered a report today, and the task is clear: to swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war," Zelensky wrote on X.

Meanwhile, hours after his resignation, Yermak told the New York Post hours after his resignation that he was "going to the front".“I am an honest and decent person,” he said.

Yermak was the key interlocutor with Kyiv's Western allies and was widely seen as the second-most powerful man in the Ukrainian government, mentioned a report by Politico.

The planned talks in Florida come after the Trump administration put forward a 28-point peace plan that has been criticised by Ukraine and European allies for being too favourable to Russia.

US-backed peace deal

on Tuesday, 25 November, US President Donald Trump claimed that negotiations to end the Russia–Ukraine war are nearing completion, announcing parallel missions to Moscow and Kyiv as part of a push to finalise a proposed US-drafted peace plan.

Trump said the original 28-point US peace proposal, drafted by Washington and widely criticised for aligning with Russian demands, had been“fine-tuned” with“additional input from both sides.” Only a few points of disagreement remain, he said, without providing details.

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