U.S. and Ukrainian officials held what both sides described as productive talks on Sunday aimed at advancing a peace deal with Russia, as the war enters its fourth year.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met a Ukrainian delegation led by new chief negotiator Rustem Umerov in Florida. Rubio said the discussions were designed to secure Ukraineโs sovereignty and independence while laying the groundwork for a more prosperous future. โWe continue to be realistic about how difficult this is, but optimistic,โ he told reporters, noting a โshared visionโ between both sides.
The talks followed a fresh U.S. blueprint for peace that critics said initially favored Russia. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner also attended, with Witkoff scheduled to travel to Moscow this week for further negotiations. Rubio acknowledged the complexity of the process, saying โthere are a lot of moving partsโ and stressing Russiaโs role in any eventual deal.
President Donald Trump has expressed frustration at the slow progress, having pledged during his campaign to end the war in a single day. His team has pressed Ukraine to make concessions, including ceding territory to Russia. Trump on Sunday pointed to Ukraineโs domestic corruption scandal, which led to the resignation of former negotiator Andriy Yermak, as โnot helpful.โ
Umerov, who replaced Yermak, thanked Washington for its support. โU.S. is hearing us, U.S. is supporting us, U.S. is walking besides us,โ he said, later describing the talks as โsuper supportive.โ
The meeting took place at Shell Bay, a private club near Miami developed by Witkoffโs real estate business. Ukrainian officials said they were building on counter-proposals presented in Geneva two weeks earlier, as Kyiv faces mounting pressure from Russian advances and widespread blackouts caused by strikes on its energy system.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned Ukrainians that the country is at its most difficult moment yet but vowed not to accept a bad deal. First deputy foreign minister Sergiy Kyslytsya likened the negotiations to weather forecasting, writing on X: โThe atmosphere is a chaotic system where small changes can lead to large outcomes.โ
