A series of meetings took place in Miami over the weekend involving representatives of US President Donald Trump’s administration, Ukraine, European countries, and Russia. The parties discussed a US ceasefire proposal revised in line with suggestions from Kyiv and Europe, but major disagreements remain.
On December 19, US and Ukrainian delegations met in Miami. Ukraine was represented by National Security and Defense Council secretary Rustem Umerov and Armed Forces Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov, while the US side included Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Kyiv made no detailed public statement afterward and said it was awaiting Umerov’s report.
On December 21, Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev held talks in Miami with Witkoff and Kushner. A White House representative later said the meetings had concluded. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said Dmitriev had spoken only with the American side and would report back later. Dmitriev himself gave only a brief comment, saying the discussions were constructive.
At the same time, Ushakov indicated that Moscow is skeptical about amendments proposed by Ukraine and European governments. In his words, those changes do not improve the document or increase the chances of a lasting peace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Washington had proposed a trilateral meeting between the US, Russia, and Ukraine at the level of national security advisers. He said such a format could help unlock exchanges of prisoners of war and civilians and possibly pave the way for a meeting of leaders.
Zelensky also said there was some constructive movement in the talks, but much depended on whether Russia felt a real need to end the war. He added that, in his view, Moscow’s actual signals remained negative, citing continuing assaults, strikes on infrastructure, and war crimes in border areas.
Despite renewed diplomatic activity, Vladimir Putin showed no readiness to compromise at his annual press conference on December 19. According to The Wall Street Journal, the draft agreement was reduced to 19 points after consultations between the US, Ukraine, and Europe, while the most sensitive issues — abandoning Donbas and NATO membership — were left for direct discussion between Trump and Zelensky.