US and Ukrainian negotiators meet as Trump seeks to broker an end to the war
| Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Top Trump administration officials are meeting Ukrainian negotiators in Florida on Sunday, pushing to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine and setting the stage for key talks planned this week in Moscow with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, were expected to hold talks with a Ukrainian delegation to further hash out the details of a proposed peace framework. The negotiations come at a sensitive moment for Ukraine as it continues to push back against Russian forces that invaded in 2022.
On Friday, Ukrainian President announced the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, , who up until that point had been the country鈥檚 lead negotiator in .
The announcement came after Mr. Yermak's home was searched by investigators. Mr. Zelenskyy's government has been roiled by fallout from a embezzled from the energy sector through kickbacks paid by contractors, causing newfound domestic pressures for Mr. Zelenskyy.
It was only a week ago that Mr. Rubio had met with Mr. Yermak in Geneva, with each side saying the talks had been positive in putting together a revised peace plan.
Now, the Ukrainian delegation includes , the head of Ukraine鈥檚 armed forces; , Ukraine鈥檚 foreign minister; and , head of Ukraine鈥檚 security council, Zelenskyy has said.
Diplomats have been focused on revisions to President Trump's proposed developed in negotiations between Washington and Moscow. That plan was criticized as being too weighted toward Russian demands. It had initially envisioned Ukraine ceding the entire to Russia 鈥� a sticking point for Kyiv.
The plan, which Mr. Trump has since played down as a 鈥渃oncept鈥� or a 鈥渕ap鈥� to be 鈥渇ine-tuned,鈥� would have imposed limits on the size of Ukraine's military, blocked the country from joining NATO, and required Ukraine to hold elections in 100 days. Negotiators have indicated the framework has changed, but it's not clear how its provisions have been altered.
Mr. Trump said on Tuesday that he would send Mr. Witkoff and perhaps Mr. Kushner to Moscow this week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the plan. Both Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner, like Mr. Trump, hail from the world of real estate that values dealmaking over the conventions of diplomacy. The pair also were behind a that led to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Mr. wrote on X that the Ukrainian delegation would 鈥渟wiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war.鈥�
In his nightly address on Saturday, Zelenskyy said the American side was 鈥渄emonstrating a constructive approach.鈥�
鈥淚n the coming days it is feasible to flesh out the steps to determine how to bring the war to a dignified end,鈥� he said.
Attacks continue despite diplomatic efforts to end the war
On Saturday, Russian drone and missile attacks in and around Ukraine鈥檚 capital, Kyiv, killed at least three people and wounded dozens more, officials said. Fresh attacks overnight into Sunday killed one person and wounded 19 others, including four children, local officials said, when a drone hit a nine-story apartment block in the city of Vyshhorod in the Kyiv region.
In a post on Telegram Sunday, Mr. Zelenskyy said Russia had attacked Ukraine with 122 strike drones and ballistic missiles.
鈥淪uch attacks occur daily. This week alone, Russians have used nearly 1,400 strike drones, 1,100 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles against our people. That is why we must strengthen Ukraine鈥檚 resilience every day. Missiles and air defense systems are necessary, and we must also actively work with our partners for peace,鈥� Mr. Zelenskyy said.
鈥淲e need real, reliable solutions that will help end the war,鈥� he added.
After Ukraine claimed responsibility for damaging a major oil terminal on Saturday near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, owned by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Kazakhstan told Ukraine on Sunday to stop attacking the Black Sea terminal. The CPC pipeline, which starts in Kazakhstan and ends at the Novorossisyk terminal, handles a large proportion of Kazakhstan's oil exports.
鈥淲e view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future," Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
