United States and Ukrainian negotiators on Friday agreed that the “real progress” toward ending the three-year war in Ukraine depends on Russia’s commitment to lasting peace, as both sides met for the sixth time in two weeks to discuss a potential peace deal.
US Special Envoy for Peace Steven Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, along with Ukrainian Secretary of National Security Rustem Umerov and Chief of General Staff General Andriy Hnatov, attended the meeting in Miami, aiming for “constructive discussions” after earlier talks failed to produce a breakthrough.
In a post on X, Witkoff said that Washington and Kyiv have already “agreed on the framework of security arrangements and discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace.”
However, they acknowledged that the “real progress” toward any agreement would only come once Russia shows a “serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings.”
The parties also reviewed the future prosperity agenda supporting Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, US-Ukraine economic initiatives, and long-term recovery projects.
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Ukraine, EU trash 28-point plan
In late November, Trump released a 28-point peace plan in Ukraine that would force Kyiv to give up some of its territories, limit the size of its military, and vow never to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) — a plan that was heavily criticized by Ukraine and its European allies, who said it favored Moscow.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky even expressed concern that Kyiv could risk losing a key ally due to the proposed plan.
With the pushback from the European leaders, Trump later said that it was only a “draft” and discussions would be underway to revise it.
‘No deal’ reached after Putin, Witkoff meeting
As US senior officials continue efforts to broker a peace deal, Witkoff and Kushner flew to Moscow on December 2 for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, despite the hours-long meeting, Kremlin’s top aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters during a briefing that “no compromise plan” had been reached yet and there was “a lot of work to be done.”
Ushakov said the meeting was “useful,” noting that the Kremlin agreed on some points but disagreed on others, without providing concrete details about the plan.
Kyiv wants full brief on Moscow‑US talks
Kyiv is now seeking the “full” details of the Moscow-US discussions, as US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to hold another meeting on Saturday, December 6.
The Ukrainian government also reaffirmed its stance to prioritize safeguarding its independence and sovereignty, as well as the safety of its citizens, as talks progress.
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