.webp "Ukrainian Delegation Meets US Officials in Florida as Trump’s Peace Push Accelerates")
A fresh round of Ukraine-US talks kicked off in Florida as Kyiv’s envoys sat down with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff to go over Washington’s latest plan to end the war.
Rubio set the tone at the start. What he wants, he said, is a clear path that keeps Ukraine sovereign, independent, and able to rebuild a functioning future. Rustem Umerov, who now heads Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, echoed that vision and stressed that the talks must secure Ukraine against future attacks while charting a plan for reconstruction and long-term stability.
Umerov is leading Kyiv’s team after Andriy Yermak — once one of Zelensky’s most powerful aides — stepped down on Friday following a corruption probe. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, also joined the meeting in Miami.
What Ukraine Wants on the Table
Kyiv is pushing for firm international security guarantees and a ceasefire based on current frontline positions. It refuses to give up any territory not already occupied by Russian forces.
Moscow, meanwhile, is showing little interest in compromise. Vladimir Putin has repeated that the war will only end when Ukrainian troops “withdraw” from areas Russia claims — a position that leaves little room for quick progress.
Last week, Rubio met Ukrainian negotiators in Geneva, where major edits were made to the original 28-point plan drafted by Witkoff and Russian sovereign wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev. European partners said the first version leaned too heavily toward Moscow and needed significant changes. The Kremlin has already received the updated draft, though Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said the text still requires “serious analysis.”
Trump, who previously hinted at wanting an agreement by Thursday, has now backed off deadlines. “The deadline is when it’s over,” he told reporters.
Talks Continue as Russia Pounds Ukrainian Cities
While negotiations unfold, the war itself has not slowed. Russia unleashed another wave of missile, drone, and bomb attacks across Ukraine last week, hitting homes and infrastructure in Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv.
Zelensky said Russia deployed nearly 1,400 attack drones, 1,100 guided bombs, and 66 missiles in just seven days. A drone strike near Kyiv on Sunday killed one person and wounded 11 others in a residential block.
Ukraine has been striking back. Long-range drones and locally built missiles targeted Russian energy and military sites, including maritime drone attacks on two sanctioned oil tankers in the Black Sea.
Inside the Florida Meeting
At Sunday’s session in Florida, Rubio said the mission is about more than ending the shooting — it’s about ending the war in a way that gives Ukraine a realistic shot at prosperity. “This isn’t just about peace deals,” he said.
Umerov thanked the US for its support — a message aimed partly at Trump, who has at times suggested Ukraine hasn’t shown enough appreciation.
The meeting came just hours after Zelensky confirmed the resignation of Yermak, whose home was searched by anti-corruption investigators. Zelensky posted on X that Ukraine now needs “real, reliable solutions” to end the war.
The Trump Plan Under Scrutiny
Diplomats are still working through revisions to Trump’s peace blueprint. The original proposal, which Trump later described as a “concept,” included controversial ideas: capping Ukraine’s military size, blocking NATO membership, and requiring national elections within 100 days. Critics said it tilted heavily toward Russian demands.
Trump says he expects Witkoff — and possibly Kushner — to travel to Moscow this week to discuss the proposal with Putin directly.
Putin Signals Openness to a Meeting
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has now confirmed, albeit indirectly, that Putin plans to meet Witkoff next week before heading to India. It would be the first face-to-face discussion between Trump’s envoy and the Russian leader on the emerging peace framework.
Russian state TV pressed Peskov for details on the timing. True to form, he dodged specifics but made it clear the meeting is likely — a sign that Moscow is at least willing to hear out the revised American proposal, which the Trump team developed in consultation with Zelensky’s government.
A War With No Easy End
Even within Ukraine, there’s growing acknowledgment that the final stretch may not be simple. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the country’s former military chief and a potential political rival to Zelensky, wrote over the weekend that not all wars end with one side’s total victory. Ukrainians want a full win, he said, but the country should prepare for the possibility of a long-term settlement.
For now, the talks in Florida — and the expected Moscow visit — mark the most serious push in months to shape what that settlement might eventually look like.
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