U.S. and Ukrainian envoys say “productive and constructive” talks have taken place in Miami, but there still appears to be no major progress in efforts to end Ukraine’s war with Russia.
Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, issued a joint statement with Ukraine’s top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, after three days of meetings with European allies.
Both said the meeting focused on aligning positions on a 20-point plan, a “multilateral security assurance framework,” a “U.S. security assurance framework for Ukraine” and an “economic and prosperity plan.”
Separate talks between the United States and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev have been held in Miami.
“Our shared priority is to stop the killings, ensure security and create conditions for Ukraine’s long-term recovery, stability and prosperity,” Witkoff and Umerov said in a statement.
The meetings are the latest step in weeks of diplomatic activity, sparked by the leak of a 28-point US peace plan that surprised Ukraine and its European allies by appearing to favor Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago.
Witkoff said Russian representatives had met with him and other U.S. officials in South Florida, including Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Witkoff said meetings with Russian envoy Dmitriev were also “productive and constructive” and that “Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine.”
Trump has been pressing Ukraine and Russia to reach a deal to end the war, but the two countries have so far been unable to agree on major issues, including Moscow’s demand to keep land it has already seized.
US intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to capture all of Ukraine and recapture parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar with US intelligence told Reuters news agency.
This comes after Putin told the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg that there will be no more wars after Ukraine if Russia is treated with respect.
“There will be no operations if they treat us with respect, if they respect our interests as we have always tried to respect theirs,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone strike damaged two vessels and two docks in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, Russian officials said Monday.
The damage caused a large fire, but Russian authorities say the entire crew was evacuated safely. Some reports say oil infrastructure was the target.
