US and Ukrainian envoys say “productive and constructive” talks have taken place in Miami, but there still appears to be no major breakthrough in efforts to end Ukraine’s war with Russia.
Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, issued a joint statement with the top Ukrainian negotiator, Rustem Umerov, after three days of meetings with European allies.
The pair said the meeting focused on aligning positions on a 20-point plan, a “multilateral security guarantee framework”, a “US Security guarantee framework for Ukraine” and an “economic & prosperity plan”.
Separate talks have been taking place in Miami between the US and the Russian envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.
“Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine’s recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity,” Witkoff and Umerov said in a statement.
The meetings are the latest step in weeks of diplomatic activity, sparked by the leaking of a 28-point US peace plan which shocked Ukraine and its European allies for appearing to favour Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.
Witkoff said representatives from Russia had met himself and other US officials in southern Florida, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Witkoff said the meetings with Russian envoy Dmitriev were also “productive and constructive” and that “Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine”.
Trump has been pushing Ukraine and Russia to come to an agreement on ending the war, but so far the two countries have been unable to agree on major issues, including Moscow’s demand to keep land it has already seized.
US intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to capture all of Ukraine and reclaim parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar with US intelligence told the Reuters news agency.
This comes says after Putin told the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg that there will be no more wars after Ukraine, if Russia is treated with respect.
“There won’t be any operations if you treat us with respect, if you respect our interests just as we’ve always tried to respect yours,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged two vessels and two piers in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, Russian officials said on Monday.
The damage led to a big fire, but Russian authorities say all crew were safely evacuated. Some reports say oil infrastructure was targeted.