Ukraine negotiators and U.S. officials are holding fresh talks in Miami on a Washington-backed plan to end Russia’s invasion, a Kyiv adviser said, as behind-the-scenes diplomacy intensifies over proposals that would require territorial concessions and stop short of NATO membership.
The meeting was scheduled to begin in Florida this week with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, listed as participants, though U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed whether an earlier session took place. “Another meeting is expected today,” Oleksandr Bevz, an adviser in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, told AFP.
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U.S. diplomats have circulated a first draft of a plan that, according to Ukrainian and Western accounts, would see Kyiv cede control of territory Moscow has not secured on the battlefield in exchange for security guarantees that fall short of Ukraine’s long-standing goal of NATO membership.
Russia currently controls an estimated 19.2% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimea region annexed in 2014, all of Luhansk, more than 80% of Donetsk, and roughly three-quarters of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, with smaller occupied pockets in Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. About 5,000 square kilometers of Donetsk oblast remain under Ukrainian control.
Moscow has repeatedly insisted it must control the entirety of the Donbas region and has demanded that the United States implicitly recognize Russian gains, according to officials familiar with the talks. Kyiv has rejected any forced surrender of sovereign territory while seeking international security guarantees and legal assurances.
“The diplomatic process takes place mostly behind the scenes,” Mykhailo Podolyak, another Zelensky adviser, wrote on social media. “Ukraine seeks to end the war and is ready for talks.” He added that the United States favors a pragmatic, expedited process that would require compromises from both sides.
The Kremlin signaled continued pressure if negotiations stall. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by state news agency TASS, said Russia would carry on its military operation in Ukraine should Kyiv refuse to negotiate a settlement.
The Miami talks follow intense international shuttle diplomacy aimed at producing a cease-fire framework that could be implemented while security arrangements and political questions are resolved. Diplomats say any agreement will be politically fraught in Kyiv and among Western allies.
Separately, President Zelensky thanked U.S. President Trump for assistance in securing the return of seven Ukrainian children from Russia, while noting that “thousands of our children still must be brought back” and urging broad international support to reunite more families.
As discussions continue, Kyiv officials emphasize they remain at the negotiating table but insist any deal must preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and long-term security.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
