Miami (TDI): US and Ukrainian officials met in Florida on Sunday for another round of negotiations aimed at charting a path toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
After the talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that although major hurdles remain, both sides felt they were moving in the right direction. Speaking in Hallandale Beach, Rubio noted that the discussions were not only about halting the fighting but also about shaping a future in which Ukraine can stand as a fully sovereign and independent nation.
The meeting came after nearly two weeks of back-and-forth over a draft peace framework first put forward by Washington. That early proposal drew criticism from some who believed it leaned too far toward Moscow’s interests.
Rubio was joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump. Witkoff is slated to hold a separate round of talks with Russian negotiators in Moscow later this week. “There are many moving pieces here,” Rubio said, adding that the Russians will ultimately have to agree to whatever final arrangement is reached.
Read More: Trump Says No Firm Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal
Trump, who had repeatedly promised to end the war quickly, has grown frustrated at how complex the situation has become despite what he describes as a strong personal rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His advisers have pushed Kyiv to accept significant compromises, including ceding some territory to Russia.
Sunday’s meeting saw a shift on the Ukrainian side. Rustem Umerov, the national security council secretary, took over as chief negotiator after Andriy Yermak resigned on Friday amid a domestic corruption scandal involving Ukraine’s energy sector. Umerov thanked US officials for standing with Ukraine and later called the discussions “productive,” saying they covered all the issues that mattered most to Ukrainians.
The talks were held at Shell Bay, a private club in the Miami area owned by Witkoff’s real estate firm. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had earlier said he expected progress on proposals that had been debated in Geneva, where Ukraine presented a counteroffer to the plan put forward by US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll.
Read More: Russia, Ukraine Trade Deadly Strikes as Pressure Mounts Over Peace Plan
Ukraine is under growing pressure at home as Russian forces continue to push forward on several parts of the front line and as the country suffers from widespread power outages caused by Russian strikes on energy infrastructure. Despite the difficult circumstances, Zelenskiy told Ukrainians that he would not agree to a deal that he believed was detrimental to the country’s future.
