Ukrainian negotiators and envoys of US President Donald Trump marked their third day of talks on Saturday in Miami, they announced on Friday (12/05/2025) in a statement in which they stressed that movement towards a peace agreement depends on Russia.
The United States has been trying for weeks to convince Kiev and Moscow to accept the plan drawn up by Washington to end hostilities. The first draft was revised after it was criticized for being too pro-Russian.
“Both sides agree that any real progress toward an agreement depends on Russia demonstrating a serious commitment to a lasting peace, including steps toward de-escalation and stopping the killings,” they said in a letter released by envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday.
The US State Department explained in the statement that the participants determined “the framework of security agreements (…) and the deterrence capabilities necessary to maintain lasting peace.”
The two delegations are scheduled to meet on Saturday to “continue advancing talks” on the American plan to end the war with Russia.
There are no details about the amended plan
On the American side, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkopf and US President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are participating in the talks near Miami. As for the Ukrainian side, the negotiators are Rustam Omerov and General Andrei Hnatov.
Since the US plan was presented nearly three weeks ago, several rounds of talks have been organized with the Ukrainians in Geneva and Florida to try to tweak the text in Kiev’s favor.
Not many details of the revised plan have been leaked, but for Kiev, the first version was very favorable to Russia.
The document was also presented on Tuesday during a meeting of US envoys with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
The Foreign Ministry stated in its statement that the participants “discussed the results” of the meeting in Moscow and that Umarov reiterated that Ukraine’s priority is to reach an agreement that “protects its independence and sovereignty.”
Moscow recognizes friendly dialogue with Trump’s envoy
After the meeting in the Russian capital, the Kremlin confirmed that progress had been made, but there was still “a lot of work” to be done to reach a solution to the conflict that began in February 2022.
Kremlin diplomatic advisor Yuri Ushakov said on Friday that the talks that took place this week in Moscow took place in a friendly atmosphere and the presence of Trump’s son-in-law was welcomed.
Ushakov told Russian state television that Putin and Wytkov had a “really friendly dialogue and understand each other well,” describing Kushner’s presence as very “useful.”
Intensive diplomatic activity did not succeed in stopping the fighting. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia sent 137 drones to Ukrainian territory overnight, and 80 of them were shot down.
There are still power outages in several areas as a result of the Russian bombing of energy facilities in recent weeks, according to the Ministry of Energy.
Mykhailo Podoliak, Ukrainian presidential advisor, noted in X that although “the diplomatic process is currently taking place behind the scenes, (…) the positions are clear.”
He added, “Ukraine wants to end the war and is ready to talk.”
JC (AFP, EFI, Reuters)