Kyiv, Ukraine - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday he had appointed a former deputy prime minister as Kyiv's new ambassador to the US, as Washington-backed efforts to halt the war with Russia intensify.

Zelensky signed a decree unexpectedly naming Olga Stefanishyna, who is also a former justice minister, to the key post, he said in his evening address posted on social media.

"In many ways, Ukraine's long-term security depends on its relations with America," he said.

He added that Ukraine was proposing to Washington to strike accords on having Kyiv's European allies buy US weapons and through an agreement to supply Ukrainian drones to the US.

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Washington is Ukraine's biggest military backer, and President Donald Trump has made a series of moves over recent months to try to resolve the conflict with Russia, despite sometimes tense exchanges with Zelensky.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the tens of billions of dollars in annual US military and financial aid to Ukraine.

Stefanishyna replaces Oksana Markarova, who as ambassador since 2021 oversaw the flow of US aid under Trump's predecessor Joe Biden after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The new ambassador also previously served as Ukraine's minister for European integration and was involved in negotiations with the US that led to a recent agreement for it to mine Ukraine's rare minerals.

Zelensky said Wednesday that members of his administration would meet with US officials in New York on Friday as part of ongoing efforts to end the war.