Kyiv, US Teams To Hold New Talks As Russian Strikes Pummel Ukraine

Ukrainian and US officials were set for a third straight day of talks Saturday in Miami, with Washington saying “real progress” would depend on Russia’s willingness to end the war shortly before Moscow launched new strikes on Ukraine.

President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have been meeting with top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and Andriy Gnatov, the chief of staff of Kyiv’s armed forces.

The talks come after Witkoff and Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday to discuss a US plan to end the conflict, but Moscow rejected parts of the proposal.

“Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings,” said a readout of the Miami talks posted Friday by Witkoff on X.

The US and Ukrainian officials “also agreed on the framework of security arrangements and discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace.”

But overnight into Saturday, Moscow launched over 700 drones and missiles at Ukraine, targeting its energy and railway facilities and triggering heating and water cuts affecting thousands of households.

“Russia’s aim is to inflict suffering on millions of Ukrainians,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X after the strikes, adding, “That is exactly why additional pressure is needed.”

As with previous waves of attacks, the Russian defence ministry said they had targeted “Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises and the energy facilities that support them” and added that “all designated targets were hit.”

Washington’s initial plan to settle the nearly four-year war involved Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not been able to win on the battlefield in return for security promises that fall short of Kyiv’s aspirations to join NATO.

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But the nature of the security guarantees that Ukraine could get has so far been shrouded in uncertainty, beyond an initial plan saying that jets to defend Kyiv could be based in Poland.

The US plan has been through several drafts since it first emerged last month, amid criticism it was too soft on Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Witkoff, Trump’s former business partner-turned-roving global ambassador, and investor Kushner had hoped to persuade Putin to play ball but came away from Moscow without a deal.

Still, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday’s five-hour late-night Moscow meeting was cordial, and he praised Kushner for joining the talks, which have been going on since spring.

Putin and Witkoff “had a genuinely friendly conversation, and they understand each other perfectly,” Ushakov said Friday on Russian state TV.

“A new person has joined us, and I would say that he has turned out to be very useful,” he said of Kushner.

On the Ukrainian side, Zelensky advisor Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on social media Friday that “the diplomatic process takes place mostly behind the scenes.”

“Ukraine seeks to end the war and is ready for talks,” Podolyak said, adding, “The United States wants a pragmatic process and a quick end to the war, expecting compromises from both sides.”

Trump said Wednesday that the envoys had a “reasonably good meeting” with Putin, insisting they had the “strong impression” he would like to end the war.

Trump has blown hot and cold on Ukraine since returning to office in January, initially embracing Putin and chastising Zelensky for not being grateful for US support.

But he has also grown frustrated that his efforts to persuade Putin to end the war, including a summit in Alaska, have failed to produce results, and he recently slapped sanctions on Russian oil firms.

Putin, who was in India this week meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said the talks were “complex” but that he wanted to engage with Trump’s plan “rather than obstruct it”.

Russian troops have been grinding forward across the front line against outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian forces.

AFP