US and Russian officials are set to meet in Miami this weekend for a new round of talks aimed at advancing President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine, a White House official told AFP on Wednesday. The discussions come amid intensified diplomatic activity as Washington seeks to broker a path toward ending nearly four-year-old war in Ukraine.
The meeting follows two days of talks in Berlin between Ukrainian officials and Trump’s envoys, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as showing progress, particularly on future security guarantees for Kyiv. At the same time, Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing for a “new year of war,” underscoring the fragility of the diplomatic momentum. On the US side, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to participate, while Russia is likely to be represented by President Vladimir Putin’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to Politico. The White House has not disclosed full details of the delegations.
Despite the flurry of diplomacy, major differences remain. Washington and Kyiv say some headway has been made on security arrangements for Ukraine, but sharp disagreements persist over territorial issues and what concessions Kyiv might be expected to make. Moscow, meanwhile, has shown no sign of retreat. Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would “certainly” achieve its objectives in the conflict, including taking control of territories it claims as its own, highlighting the steep challenges facing any negotiated settlement.
