Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that senior members of his administration will meet U.S. officials in New York on Friday, as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict with Russia intensify.

Zelenskyy confirmed that the talks, involving representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump's team, would follow a series of meetings this week in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff had earlier told U.S. media he would meet Ukrainian officials in this week.

According to Zelenskyy, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak and former defense minister Rustem Umerov have already taken part in mediation talks in Qatar, and those talks will be followed by discussions in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and Switzerland on Thursday.

On the same day, Zelenskyy appointed Olha Stefanishyna, a former deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, as Ukraine's new ambassador to the United States and outlined key tasks for Stefanishyna to "reinvigorate" the embassy's work.

Zelenskyy singled out two agreements as critical – on providing weapons for Ukraine and on supplying drones to the United States.

"The main thing is to fully implement all the agreements reached in Washington – our agreements with President (Donald) Trump, above all in the defense sphere...Much of Ukraine's long-term security depends on relations with America," Zelenskyy said.

Diplomatic momentum has picked up in recent weeks following a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and subsequent talks in Washington between Trump, Zelenskyy and European allies.

Trump has said he wants to arrange a direct meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, though little progress has been made so far. Ukraine insists that any peace deal must include Western security guarantees to prevent future Russian attacks.

Germany has been among NATO's most active European supporters of Kyiv. On Wednesday, Rheinmetall, the country's largest arms producer, inaugurated a new ammunition plant in Lower Saxony. Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended the ceremony.

Rheinmetall said the plant will produce 25,000 rounds of 155mm artillery shells this year, rising to 140,000 in 2026 and reaching 350,000 annually from 2027, making it Europe's largest ammunition facility. The company said production will supply the German armed forces, NATO partners and Ukraine.

In July, Berlin pledged €9 billion (10.48 billion) in aid to Ukraine, and earlier this month announced it would provide two additional Patriot air-defense systems, on top of three already delivered.

(With input from AFP)