U.S. negotiators proposed a potential new format for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia during the latest round in Florida, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday, in which American and possibly European envoys may also participate, reports Baltimore Chronicle. According to Zelenskyy, the U.S. intends to hold a separate meeting with Russian representatives while also including Ukraine and potentially European participants in broader discussions.
“The U.S. said they would have a separate meeting with representatives of Russia,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv after meeting Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. “They proposed the following format, as far as I understand: Ukraine, America, Russia, and, since there are representatives of Europe there, probably Europe as well,” he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who also serves as CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, arrived in Miami for the negotiations. Dmitriev told reporters that the discussions were proceeding constructively and are expected to continue into Sunday, as cited by Russia’s state-run Tass news agency.
Earlier, Ukrainian and European representatives held a round of discussions with American counterparts in the U.S. on Friday and agreed to resume contacts soon, chief Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said. Despite these renewed diplomatic efforts, Putin showed no indication of willingness to compromise on Moscow’s war objectives during his annual end-of-year press conference on Friday. He emphasized that the “ball is entirely in our Western opponents’ court” and reiterated the principles outlined in his previous speech, including Ukraine’s permanent exclusion from NATO and Kyiv’s withdrawal from all territories claimed by Russia in eastern and southeastern Ukraine.
Putin also asserted that Russian military momentum remains on Moscow’s side, claiming its forces are “advancing on all fronts.” He praised former U.S. President Trump while criticizing European nations, stating that Russia would take no military action against Europe as long as Moscow is treated “with respect.”
Meanwhile, as negotiations unfolded in Miami, hostilities continued on the ground. Ukraine reported that Russian forces launched 97 drones overnight, of which 75 were intercepted or neutralized, with 19 impacting eight different locations. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its forces downed at least three Ukrainian drones during the same period.
Earlier we wrote that US launches large-scale retaliatory strikes in Syria targeting ISIS after attack.
