Ukrainian delegation meets Witkoff, Kushner in Miami, plan to continue talks on March 22
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U.S. and Ukrainian officials held another round of peace negotiations in Miami, Florida on March 21, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, with discussions set to continue on March 22.
The latest round of negotiations comes over a month since their last face to face meeting in Geneva on Feb. 17–18, when trilateral talks between Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington were held. A follow-up meeting scheduled for March 5 in Abu Dhabi was postponed after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Despite months of U.S.-led efforts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, progress on key negotiating points have all but stalled in recent weeks amid the war in Iran.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who co-leads the U.S. delegation alongside U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, called the meeting with Ukrainian officials "constructive" in a statement on social media.
Witkoff said that the talks "focused on narrowing and resolving remaining items to move closer to a comprehensive peace agreement," without specifying the details of what was discussed.
In his evening address, Zelensky welcomed the latest round of talks, stating that it was important "that diplomacy continues and that we are working to end this war."
"The key issue is to understand how ready Russia is to move toward a real end to the war, and whether it is ready to do so honestly and with dignity. Especially now, when the geopolitical tensions have only increased due to the situation around Iran," Zelensky added.
European officials have cautioned that U.S. military support, particularly air defense systems, could face delays as Washington prioritizes the Middle East, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying there is now "competition for the same assets."
The Ukrainian delegation includes Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary, Presidential Office Head Kyrylo Budanov, First Deputy Presidential Office Head Serhiy Kyslytsia, and David Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party.
The latest talks did not include a delegation from Moscow. Zelensky previously said that Russia has refused to hold trilateral talks in the U.S. and has instead proposed meeting in Switzerland or Turkey.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, speaking with Russian state media earlier this week, said that there was a "situational pause" in talks with Kyiv due to the war in Iran.
Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to issue maximalist demands in peace talks as it continues to wage its war against Ukraine.
