Ukraine team to hold peace talks with Trump envoys in Florida for a second day
Ukrainian negotiators are due to continue talks with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Florida on the second day of a two-day meeting focused on new ideas for ending Russia's war in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian team would meet the American negotiators in the United States, and that the discussions were expected to last two days. He also said he was counting on a European team to join the negotiating group.
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Zelensky said senior Ukrainian officials including his chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov, Rustem Umerov, Sergiy Kyslytsya and David Arakhamia would take part. A US source familiar with the talks said the discussions would cover new ideas and proposals developed by American negotiators during recent visits to Moscow and Kyiv. The talks come after US-led peace efforts stalled, with Washington focused on other international priorities while Kyiv says Russia has intensified aerial attacks.
The meeting follows a Russian strike on buses in the frontline city of Kramatorsk that killed 30 people, one of the deadliest attacks in weeks. That attack has added urgency to the diplomatic effort and underlined the continuing human cost of the war. The involvement of European representatives, if confirmed, would reflect concern in European capitals about the shape of any future settlement and the security implications for the continent.
The renewed diplomacy also comes after previous rounds of talks failed to produce tangible progress, with Moscow still unwilling to drop what Kyiv and its allies describe as maximalist conditions. US officials have said they are trying to build a broader proposal that could be taken forward in talks with Russia. The Kremlin said last month that three-way talks on ending the war could take place in October, adding to expectations that a new round of diplomacy may be forming.
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What remains unclear is whether the Florida meeting will produce a concrete framework that both Ukraine and its partners can support. It is also not known how far the new proposals have advanced in contacts with Russia, or whether they can bridge the gap between the sides. The outcome will be watched closely for signs of whether the stalled peace process is moving forward or remains stuck at the level of exploratory talks.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are due to meet Ukrainian negotiators and European officials in Miami on Friday for talks on new proposals aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine. The meeting is expected to last two days, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It comes as Washington seeks to revive peace efforts that have been largely stalled in recent months.
Two US sources said the discussions will focus on "new ideas" and on building a unified proposal that could be taken forward in negotiations with Moscow. One source said the American negotiators developed the ideas during recent contacts with both sides. Zelensky said senior Ukrainian officials will take part, including his chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, Rustem Umerov, Sergiy Kyslytsya and David Arakhamia.
The talks are also expected to include national security advisers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, along with officials from NATO and the European Union. US officials said the agenda includes security guarantees for Ukraine, a post-war prosperity plan and other aspects of the conflict. The enlarged format suggests an effort to align transatlantic positions after earlier rounds of diplomacy failed to produce a breakthrough.
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The meeting comes after a Russian strike on buses in the frontline city of Kramatorsk killed 30 people, one of the deadliest attacks in weeks. That attack has added urgency to the diplomatic push, while also underlining the continuing human cost of the war. Kyiv has said Russia has intensified aerial attacks, even as US-led peace efforts have struggled to gain traction.
The latest talks follow recent visits by Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv, where they held discussions as part of the renewed effort. The involvement of European officials reflects concern in European capitals about the shape of any future settlement and the security implications for the continent. It also comes amid reported frustrations in Europe over energy costs and the wider economic effects of the war.
What remains unclear is whether the Miami meeting will produce a concrete framework that both Kyiv and its partners can support. It is also not known how far any new proposals have advanced in talks with Russia, or whether they can bridge the gap between the sides. The outcome of the two-day meeting will be watched closely for signs of whether the stalled peace process is moving forward.
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