US-Ukraine talks on peace plan begin in Florida

ISTANBUL

Senior US and Ukrainian officials on Sunday began talks in the US state of Florida on a proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The meeting between the Ukrainian delegation and the American side on steps toward achieving a just peace has already begun in the United States,” Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov wrote on social media.

A photograph accompanying Umerov’s post showed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner from the US side, alongside Umerov, First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna, and others in the Ukrainian delegation.

“We have clear directives and priorities: safeguarding Ukrainian interests, ensuring substantive dialogue, and advancing on the basis of the progress achieved in Geneva,” Umerov said.

“We are working to secure real peace for Ukraine and reliable, long-term security guarantees,” he said, noting that he remains “in constant contact” with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the delegation will report to him.

The US side has not issued a statement on the talks.

The discussions follow Zelenskyy’s appointment of Umerov as head of the delegation for talks with international partners, replacing former presidential office head Andriy Yermak, who was dismissed this week.

The US delegation, led by Kushner and Witkoff, is expected to travel to Russia next week for talks.

The US administration has confirmed working on a Ukrainian settlement plan but declined to provide details while the process is ongoing.

The Kremlin has said Russia remains open to negotiations and committed to a diplomatic resolution.

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