Ukrainian, US delegates hold 'constructive' talks as Russian team meets Americans in Miami
Editor's Note: This is a developing story.
Ukrainian delegates sat down with U.S. representatives for another round of peace talks on Dec. 21, Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, announced.
The meeting is part of ongoing diplomatic negotiations in Washington's latest push to secure a peace deal. It follows Ukrainian-U.S. talks on Dec. 19 and Russian-U.S. talks on Dec. 20 in Miami. The Russian team was also scheduled to meet with U.S. delegates again on Dec. 21.
The talks focused on a revised 20-point plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine, a framework for security guarantees, and economic development.
Umerov, the leader of the delegation, said that the talks held with U.S. partners over the past three days were "productive and constructive."
"Over the past three days in Florida, the Ukrainian delegation held a series of productive and constructive meetings with American and European partners. ... Ukraine remains fully committed to achieving a just and sustainable peace," he wrote.
The Ukrainian delegation also included General Andrii Hnatov, chief of Ukraine's General Staff, while the U.S. side was comprised of special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with White House staffer Josh Gruenbaum.
There were discussions involving national security officials from Europe to outline a joint strategy with Ukraine and the U.S., as well as separate U.S.-Ukraine talks, Umerov said.
The U.S.-Ukraine discussions focused on four key elements: the details of the 20-point peace plan, a framework for multilateral security guarantees; an agreement on U.S. security guarantees, and an economic development plan.
"Ukraine remains fully committed to achieving a just and sustainable peace," Witkoff wrote on X following the talks. "Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine’s recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity. Peace must be not only a cessation of hostilities, but also a dignified foundation for a stable future."
"Our common priority is to stop the killings, achieve guaranteed security, and create conditions for the reconstruction, stability, and long-term prosperity of Ukraine," Umerov said.
Umerov made no mention of the Russian delegation in his announcement, and the Kremlin has denied reports of possible trilateral talks among Ukrainian, American, and Russian teams.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected a full report on the outcome of the talks from his representatives in Miami and that the negotiators were discussing timelines for implementing aspects of a peace agreement.
"Work is continuing on documents concerning the end of the war, security guarantees, and reconstruction," the president said in his evening address on Dec. 21.
"Each point is being discussed in detail, and there is constructive dialogue with the American side. This is important. They are also discussing timing — the possible timeframes for various decisions."
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said he did not expect Moscow to accept any of the proposals from Ukrainians and Europeans that emerged from the Miami talks.
"We will discuss all this here, see what can be accepted, what categorically cannot be accepted," Ushakov said on Dec. 21.
"I think that most of the proposals will not suit us categorically, because we will adhere to what we agreed on in Anchorage and at other meetings with American representatives."
The Miami peace talks follow a summit of Ukrainian, U.S., and European officials in Berlin to discuss revisions to a U.S.-backed peace plan that hewed closely to Moscow's demands. The talks reportedly focused on "Article 5-like" security guarantees for Ukraine as well as postwar recovery and reconstruction funding.
Zelensky told reporters on Dec. 20 that Kyiv's top priority in the ongoing negotiations is the status of Ukrainian territories.
"The most difficult issues were and remain Ukraine's territories," he said. "Next is the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, our ZNPP. The third issue is money for reconstruction," the president said.
Moscow continues to seek major territorial concessions, calling on Ukraine to give up the entire Donbas region, including both Russian-occupied territories and areas still under Ukrainian control.
