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U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said that negotiations with Ukraine on an agreement to end the Russian-Ukrainian war have been productive, but “there is still more work to be done.”
The talks were held in Florida and were attended by a Ukrainian delegation led by Ukraine’s new chief negotiator and Secretary of the National Security Council Rustem Umerov.
Also in attendance were President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkopf and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Vitkov is scheduled to visit Moscow next week for talks.
Umerov was appointed to replace Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief negotiator, after he resigned amid anti-corruption raids on his home.
Sunday’s meeting was the latest step in two weeks of intense diplomacy.
The incident was triggered by the leak of the US’s 28-point peace plan, which shocked Ukraine and its European allies because it appeared to favor Russia, which invaded Ukraine nearly four years ago.
“It’s not just the terms that will end the fight,” Rubio said at the meeting in Hallandale Beach, north of Miami.
“It’s also about the conditions that will allow Ukraine to prosper long-term… I think we’re building on that today, but there’s more to be done.”
He also told the Ukrainian delegation that the purpose of peace talks with Russia was to make Ukraine “sovereign, independent and prosperous.”
“We are discussing the future of Ukraine, the security of Ukraine, no further aggression in Ukraine, prosperity of Ukraine and how to rebuild Ukraine,” Umerov said at the start of talks on Sunday.
“America is listening to us,” he said in English. “America is supporting us. America is working alongside us.”
He later described the talks as “productive and successful,” while Rubio said they were “very productive and useful.”
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that negotiations were “going very well” and that a deal to end the conflict was likely.
Trump earlier said he would send Witkov and Kushner to Moscow this week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a significantly revised peace plan.
Ukrainian President Zelensky posted on social media: “It is important that the talks are constructive, that all issues are discussed openly, and that there is a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and national interests.”
He added that he was grateful to the United States and Trump for their efforts to end the war.
A key unresolved issue is the fate of Ukrainian territories annexed or controlled by Russia.
A source close to the Ukrainian delegation told AFP the talks in Florida “will not be easy”.
“But everyone is trying to be constructive and find solutions,” the source added.
Zelensky will visit Paris on Monday for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, a powerful ally of France.
Tens of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians were killed or wounded, At least seven million people have become refugees Since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
The conflict between the two former Soviet states dates back to 2014, when Ukraine’s pro-Russian president was overthrown and Russia responded by annexing Crimea and supporting an armed uprising in eastern Ukraine.
