BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Peace negotiations centered on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine are moving forward “constructively,” according to a senior Kremlin envoy, as the Trump administration presses ahead with an expansive diplomatic effort involving Russia, Ukraine and European allies.
Kirill Dmitriev, a key Russian negotiator, said discussions with U.S. officials in Florida were ongoing and expected to continue over several days. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Dmitriev said the talks had already begun earlier and were set to resume throughout the weekend, signaling sustained engagement between Washington and Moscow. Russian state media reported that the meetings took place in Miami and included U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a close adviser.
The Florida meetings form part of a broader, months-long push by the Trump administration to broker an end to the conflict, which erupted with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has since reshaped European security. Earlier this week, U.S. officials also held discussions in Berlin with Ukrainian and European counterparts aimed at aligning positions and exploring a potential framework for a negotiated settlement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the outcome of the peace initiative would depend heavily on Washington’s stance following its engagement with Moscow. His comments came a day after Ukraine’s chief negotiator confirmed that Kyiv’s delegation had concluded separate meetings in the United States with American and European partners, describing them as focused on security guarantees and Ukraine’s long-term stability.
Despite the heightened diplomatic activity, the path to peace remains fraught with obstacles. President Trump has made ending the war a central foreign policy goal, but negotiations have been complicated by starkly opposing demands from Russia and Ukraine. Moscow has continued to insist on conditions that Kyiv has repeatedly rejected, including territorial concessions and limits on Ukraine’s future security arrangements.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently signaled little willingness to compromise, reiterating what analysts describe as maximalist objectives. On Friday, Putin expressed confidence that Russia would ultimately achieve its military aims if Ukraine refused to accept the Kremlin’s terms at the negotiating table. His comments came as Russian forces continued to make incremental gains on the battlefield, advances that have come at the cost of heavy casualties and significant material losses.
As diplomacy unfolds, Europe has moved to reinforce its support for Ukraine. Leaders of the European Union agreed on Friday to provide 90 billion euros, or about $106 billion, over the next two years to cover Ukraine’s military and economic needs. The package underscores Europe’s long-term commitment to Kyiv but also highlights lingering divisions within the bloc.
EU leaders failed to resolve disagreements with Belgium over a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to help finance the aid. Without consensus on that approach, the funds will instead be raised through borrowing on capital markets, a decision that reflects both urgency and political compromise as the war drags on.
With talks continuing in the United States and parallel efforts underway in Europe, the coming days are expected to test whether diplomatic momentum can translate into meaningful progress toward ending one of the most consequential conflicts in recent history.
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