Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today highlighted the need for constructive peace negotiations in the United States, but lamented that “only negative signals are coming” from the Russian side. “We are making very rapid progress, and our team in Florida has been working with the American side. European representatives have also been invited. It is important that these negotiations are constructive, and much depends on whether Russia feels the need to actually end the war and not engage in rhetorical or political games.”wrote Zelensky on the X network this Sunday, December 21st.
Talks are ongoing in Miami, Florida, between Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev and White House representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The topic is a peace plan for Ukraineafter a meeting on Friday with the Ukrainian delegation and also with European elements.
In his message, the Ukrainian President criticized, however, that, “Unfortunately, the real signals coming from Russia are only negative.” Zelensky reported that “attacks on the front lines, Russian war crimes in the border areas” continue, as well as the bombing of energy infrastructures, commenting that “the world cannot remain silent in the face of all this”.
At the same time, he stated that there is a widespread feeling that, following the work being carried out by the Ukrainian team in the United States, led by the Secretary of the National Security Council, Rustem Umerov, “It would be advisable to hold consultations in a broader context” with European partners.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian leader revealed a proposal from the United States for a new negotiating format, with direct meetings between envoys from Moscow and Kiev, but Russia has already ruled out this possibility. “No one has talked seriously about this initiative yet and, as far as I know, it is not being worked on.”Kremlin’s diplomatic advisor Yuri Ushakov said today, quoted by Russian news agencies Interfax and TASS.
Ushakov added that Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev will only speak to the Americans at the meetings scheduled in Miami. Before meeting with Dmitriev, US President Donald Trump’s envoys spoke on Friday, also in Miami, with Rustem Umerov and representatives from Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
Ahead of the round of contacts with representatives from Kiev and Moscow, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, warned on Friday that Washington cannot impose peace on Ukraine. The new round of negotiations on North American soil comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that “the ball is completely in the court of Western adversaries, mainly the head of the Kiev regime and its European sponsors”.
Putin also mentioned that Moscow has already accepted commitments during negotiations with Washington, despite having reaffirmed that it will achieve military objectives in Ukraine and refused the presence of NATO troops in the neighboring country as part of security guarantees to Kiev. Before this round of contacts, US President Donald Trump stated that negotiators “are close to reaching an agreement”, and advised Ukrainian leaders to act quickly.
The Ukrainian President also reported last week progress towards an understanding between Kiev and Washington on the content of a plan to be proposed to Moscow. But at the same time he warned that Russia is preparing for another year of war in 2026.
Washington’s proposal went through several versions, and was initially accused of meeting the Kremlin’s main demands, including the cession of regions partially occupied by Russia in Ukraine. In this plan, Ukraine would also have to give up its integration into NATO and its military contingent plans.
The details of the new agreement revised by Kiev are not known. However, according to Zelensky, they involve territorial concessions from Ukraine in exchange for Western security guarantees.