Zelensky says he had ‘substantial’ call with US envoys to advance peace plan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a “constructive” conversation this Saturday with the advisers of his American counterpart, Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Also participating in this meeting were Ukrainian delegates who went to Miami for the contacts taking place there on the American proposal end the war in Ukraine.

“We just had a long and substantive call,” Zelensky reported in X, praising the discussion, which he called “very focused and constructive.”

“We discussed many aspects and examined the key points that could ensure an end to the bloodshed and eliminate the threat of a new large-scale Russian invasion, as well as the the risk that Russia will not keep its promisesas has happened several times in the past,” he explained.

Furthermore, Zelensky stressed that his government is determined to “continue to work with goodwill with the American side to truly achieve peace” and noted that Kyiv and Washington agreed on next steps and the formats in which future contacts will take place.

Zelensky said he is now waiting for his negotiators, Rustém Umérov and Andrí Hnatov, to return from the United States to brief him in person about the negotiations, because “not everything can be discussed over the phone.”

This Saturday was third meeting between representatives of Kyiv and Washington in Miami in recent days.

During Friday’s conversation, the sides agreed on a “framework of security arrangements” and discussed “deterrence capabilities necessary to maintain lasting peace,” according to Umerov, who did not reveal details of what this so-called “framework” would include.

“Both sides agreed that real progress toward any type of agreement it depends on the disposition of Russia to demonstrate a serious commitment to long-term peace, which includes steps towards de-escalation and an end to deaths,” Umerov also wrote.

Ukrainian authorities reported on Saturday a massive Russian attack on various regions with 653 drones and 51 missiles of different types, with impacts at 29 points in the country, which caused damage to energy and transport infrastructure and injured at least eight civilians.

Zelensky is scheduled to travel to London on Monday to meet with leaders of the format known as E3, which constitutes United Kingdom, France and Germany.

There, as French President Emmanuel Macron announced, the objective will be to examine the situation and the ongoing negotiations within the framework of American mediation.

Last month, the United States presented a 28-point peace plan which included Russian demands such as the reduction of the Ukrainian army, the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from all of Donbass or even kyiv’s renunciation of NATO membership and the deployment of allied troops on its territory in the post-war period.

In Geneva, the United States negotiated with European and Ukrainian representatives a new 20-point version without the elements considered red lines by kyiv and the EU, but this revised version has so far been rejected by Moscow as a basis for starting direct negotiations.