Ukrainian negotiator in US in bid to revive talks with Russia
US talks with Ukraine and Russia have been delayed since the war with Iran began in February.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
MIAMI: Ukraine's top negotiator Rustem Umerov will on Thursday (May 7) meet his US counterparts in Florida in a bid to revive mostly frozen talks on ending Russia's invasion, Kyiv and Washington said.
US-mediated talks on ending Europe's worst conflict since World War II have shown little progress since February, when Washington shifted focus to its war against Iran.
"The Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine will hold a series of meetings today with envoys of the President of the United States," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, referring to Umerov.
"First, the humanitarian track. We hope it will be possible to carry out a new stage of the release of prisoners. Second, the reinvigoration of the diplomatic process," Zelenskyy added.
The White House later confirmed Zelenskyy's announcement, saying Umerov would meet with US officials in Miami.
Umerov last met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Florida between March 21-22.
The Thursday meeting will come just days after the US announced the approval of a relatively rare sale of weaponry to Kyiv - a US$373.6 million deal for extended-range bomb kits and related equipment.
Since returning to office early last year, Trump has pushed Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate. But months of talks have failed to bring the warring parties closer to an agreement to stop the fighting, triggered by Russia's invasion more than four years ago.
The already stalled talks were put on the back burner from late February, when the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran began.
Even before the Middle East war, Russia and Ukraine remained at odds over the key issue of territory.
Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines.
But Russia has rejected this, saying it wants the whole of the Donetsk region despite it being partly controlled by Ukraine - a demand Kyiv says is unacceptable.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app