Zelenskyy says US mooted direct Ukraine-Russia talks on ending war in Miami
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MIAMI: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday (Dec 20) that Washington had proposed the first face-to-face negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in six months, as diplomats converged on Miami for renewed talks aimed at ending the war.
Zelenskyy said the United States had suggested a meeting format involving Ukraine, the US and Russia, with possible European participation after preliminary discussions conclude.
“They proposed this format as far as I understand: Ukraine, America, Russia,” Zelenskyy said. He added that European involvement would be “logical” once there was clarity on the outcome of talks already held.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev confirmed he was travelling to Miami, while Ukrainian and European delegations were also in the city. The talks are being mediated by US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
US ROLE AND CONDITIONS FOR TALKS
Trump’s envoys have been pushing a plan under which the United States would offer security guarantees to Ukraine, while Kyiv could be expected to make territorial concessions – a prospect that has fuelled deep resentment among many Ukrainians.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington would not impose a settlement on Kyiv.
“There’s no peace deal unless Ukraine agrees to it,” Rubio said, adding that he could join the Miami talks. The secretary of state was born in the Florida city.
Dmitriev, posting on X, said he was “on the way to Miami,” sharing a video of sunlight breaking through clouds over a palm-lined beach. He accused critics of trying to undermine US peace efforts.
The last official direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives took place in July in Istanbul, resulting in prisoner swaps but little tangible progress toward ending the war.
EUROPEAN SCEPTICISM, RUSSIAN PUSH
The presence of Russian and European officials in Miami marks a shift from earlier rounds, when the US held separate talks with each side in different locations. However, Dmitriev is unlikely to engage directly with European negotiators, given severely strained relations.
Moscow has repeatedly argued that European involvement would hinder negotiations, often portraying EU leaders as pro-war.
The diplomatic push comes as Russia presses ahead militarily. President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he would continue the offensive, citing battlefield gains nearly four years into the war.
Russia said on Saturday it had captured two villages in Ukraine’s Sumy and Donetsk regions. Putin also suggested pausing strikes to allow Ukraine to hold elections, a proposal Zelenskyy rejected.
“It is not Putin who decides when and in what format the elections in Ukraine will take place,” Zelenskyy said, ruling out voting in Russian-occupied territories.
STRIKES CONTINUE DESPITE TALKS
Fighting continued as talks loomed. In Ukraine’s Black Sea region of Odesa, the death toll from an overnight Russian ballistic missile strike on port infrastructure rose to eight, with almost three dozen wounded.
A civilian bus was hit, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said, adding the victims were “ordinary Ukrainians”.
Ukraine also claimed it destroyed two Russian fighter jets at an airfield in occupied Crimea and struck a Russian oil rig and patrol ship in the Caspian Sea. Russia has vowed to expand strikes on Ukrainian ports in retaliation for attacks on its oil tankers.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, calling it a “special military operation”. Kyiv and its European allies say the war is an unprovoked and illegal land grab that has caused massive destruction and loss of life.
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