US has mooted direct Ukraine-Russia talks for ending war, says Zelensky
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "US has mooted direct Ukraine-Russia talks for ending war, says Zelensky")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Photograph: (AFP)
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev confirmed he was travelling to Miami, while Ukrainian and European delegations were also in the city. The talks are being mediated by US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that the US has offered a potential new format for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, with American and possibly European envoys also participating in the negotiations. Zelensky said Kyiv will take a decision on the format once it is clear if the ongoing bilateral discussions with the US negotiators that resumed on Friday are positive, adding that he would take up the matter with Rustem Umerov, the chief of Ukraine’s delegation.
Zelensky did not share the specifics about what kind of format had been proposed by the Trump administration.
“The US said they would have a separate meeting with representatives of Russia. And they proposed the following format, as far as I understand: Ukraine, America, Russia, and, since there are representatives of Europe there, probably Europe as well,” Zelensky said.
US negotiators were set to meet Russian officials in Florida on Saturday.
Russian envoy confirmed he was travelling to Miami
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Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev confirmed he was travelling to Miami, while Ukrainian and European delegations were also in the city. The talks are being mediated by US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Ukraine and Russia have not held any face-to-face negotiations since July, but the US has intensified its efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian and European representatives held discussions with American counterparts in the US on Friday and agreed to resume contact soon, Umerov said.
Trump’s envoys have been pushing a plan under which the United States would offer security guarantees to Ukraine, while Kyiv could be expected to make territorial concessions—a condition that has triggered deep resentment among many Ukrainians.
Washington would not impose a settlement on Kyiv: Rubio
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington would not impose a settlement on Kyiv.
“There’s no peace deal unless Ukraine agrees to it,” Rubio said, adding that he could join the Miami talks.
The last official direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives took place in July in Istanbul, resulting in prisoner swaps but little tangible progress toward ending the war.
The presence of Russian and European officials in Miami marks a shift from earlier rounds, when the US held separate talks with each side in different locations.
Moscow has repeatedly argued that European involvement would hinder negotiations, often portraying EU leaders as pro-war.
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he would continue the offensive, citing battlefield gains nearly four years into the war. Putin also suggested pausing strikes to allow Ukraine to hold elections, a proposal Zelensky rejected.
