US-Ukraine talks begin, Trump steps up pressure to end war

International Desk

US and Ukrainian officials have begun talks in Florida, aiming to create “credible security guarantees” for Ukraine and pave the way for a peaceful solution ahead of a visit to Moscow by US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The meeting in Florida on Sunday was attended by the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Rustam Umerov, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff. Rubio said the goal of the talks was to create a viable path for an independent and sovereign Ukraine.

Umerov wrote on social media that the talks are aimed at protecting Ukraine’s interests, ensuring a deep and realistic dialogue, and establishing “long-term security guarantees.” The talks came days after Rubio and Ukrainian representatives in Geneva revisited US President Donald Trump’s initial peace plan, which had previously been criticized as containing a list of Russian demands.

Ukrainian and US officials are preparing for talks in Florida ahead of Witkoff’s visit to Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the US draft plan could be used as the basis for future agreements and that the talks should focus on Donbas and Crimea. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has also participated in the talks in Florida and is likely to be present during the Moscow trip.

“This is about ending the war in a way that Ukraine remains independent and sovereign, and that there will be no more wars in the future and that the country can move towards greater prosperity for its people,” Rubio said. Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslitsa said the talks had “started well” and were proceeding in “a warm atmosphere that is conducive to good outcomes.”

The situation in Ukraine is sensitive, as the country is still fighting Russian aggression in 2022. At the same time, President Volodymyr Zelensky has been forced to fire his chief of staff, Andriy Ermak, over a corruption scandal. Ermak met with Rubio in Geneva and revised Trump’s initial 28-point plan, which called for Ukraine to cede the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its army.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Zelensky to meet in Paris. The US-Florida talks come as Russia’s military aggression has intensified; air and drone strikes have been carried out in Kyiv and surrounding areas. Six people were killed and many more were injured in the Russian attack on Saturday night, while more than 400,000 homes in Kyiv were left without power. In addition, one person was killed and 11 others were injured in a drone strike outside Kyiv.

At the same time, Ukrainian security sources said the country had attacked two oil tankers in the Black Sea that it believed were carrying Russian-sanctioned oil.