US, Russia to hold talks on Ukraine in Miami: White House

WASHINGTON – US and Russian officials will meet in Miami this weekend for new talks on US President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the Ukraine war, a White House official told AFP on Dec 17.

The talks come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed progress during two days of meetings in Berlin
between Kyiv and Mr Trump’s envoys, while warning that Moscow was preparing for a “new year of war”.

Mr Trump’s roving envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to take part on the US side, while Russian President Vladimir Putin’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev is set to be in the Russian delegation, Politico reported.

The White House official did not give details of the US and Russian teams.

There has been a flurry of international diplomacy in recent weeks to end Russia’s nearly four-year-old invasion, with Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner having met Mr Putin in the Kremlin in November and the Ukrainians and European leaders in Berlin.

But large differences remain all around.

Ukraine and the US say there has been progress on the question of future security guarantees for Kyiv, but there are disagreements on what territory Ukraine would have to cede
.

Mr Putin, meanwhile, said on Dec 17 that Moscow would “certainly” achieve its objectives in the war, including seizing the territories it claims are its own. AFP