Top U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators said Friday they held constructive talks about ending the war in Ukraine, but the path to peace depended on Russia.
“Real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s willingness to show a serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and stopping the killing,” U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner said in a joint statement with Ukraine negotiators.
During the meeting, the two sides “agreed on the framework of security arrangements” and discussed deterrence.
Talks in Moscow on Tuesday did not lead to a compromise on a possible peace deal in the nearly four years of war.
The two-day meeting between Witkoff and Kushner and Ukraine’s Homeland Security Secretary Rustem Umerov and Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov was the sixth round of talks in two weeks. They will meet again in Florida on Saturday.
In the statement, the four said Ukraine’s priority is “to secure an agreement that protects its independence and sovereignty, guarantees the security of Ukrainians, and provides a stable foundation for a prosperous democratic future.”
They also discussed the United States’ meeting earlier this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the future of Ukraine after the war, including rebuilding the battered country and economic initiatives with the United States.
A ceasefire and reduced tensions need to be reached to “prevent new aggression and enable Ukraine’s comprehensive redevelopment plan, designed to make the nation stronger and more prosperous than before the war,” they said.
At least two major points of contention remain between Moscow and kyiv: the fate of Ukrainian territory taken by Russian forces and security guarantees for Ukraine.
Witkoff spent nearly five hours with Putin in Moscow on Tuesday in negotiations that the Kremlin said produced “no commitment” to end the war. Also present was Kushner, a businessman and real estate investor who advised Trump during the president’s first term.
Trump said those talks were “reasonably good” but it was too early to say what would happen.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “the world clearly feels that there is a real opportunity to end the war” but that negotiations must be “backed by pressure on Russia.”
