On November 30, 2025, US and Ukrainian delegations held five hours of talks near Miami. The meeting took place at the private Shell Bay golf club owned by US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff. The US side included Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner; Ukraine was represented by Rustem Umerov, General Andriy Hnatov, and deputy military intelligence chief Vadym Skibitskyi.
According to Axios, almost the entire discussion centered on the line of territorial control within a possible peace agreement. The Wall Street Journal reported that the timing of new elections in Ukraine was also discussed. Axios sources described the meeting as “difficult” and “tense,” but productive.
RBC-Ukraine reported that the sides were unable to finalize a draft peace deal. Its source said the talks focused mainly on the remaining disputed issues. According to that source, Washington is conveying Moscow’s position to Kyiv, including Russia’s demand for a full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas. The Ukrainian side argued that such an option is impossible because it contradicts the Constitution, would not be accepted by society, and does not reflect battlefield realities, with Ukraine said to still control about 14.5% of that territory.
Kyiv also reiterated its position on NATO, saying the goal of joining the alliance is enshrined in the Constitution and that abandoning it for a settlement would create a dangerous precedent. At the same time, CNN cited a source saying negotiators discussed a scenario in which Ukraine’s path to NATO could effectively be blocked through arrangements agreed directly between NATO member states and Moscow, without Kyiv taking part in the decision.
A CNN source called the new round of discussions “a step forward” building on progress made in Geneva, while stressing that much work remains. Politico, citing a senior official, reported that Kyiv was left with the impression that the US wants to reach some understanding with Vladimir Putin first and only then return to talks with Ukraine. According to the WSJ, the issue of US and Western security guarantees for Ukraine remains unresolved.
After the meeting, Rubio called the talks “very productive and useful,” while saying much more work lies ahead. He said Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Moscow on December 1 for a meeting with Putin; AFP reported that contact could take place on December 2. Umerov said the sides had made “substantial progress” and moved their positions closer together. One Ukrainian official said he was expected to brief Volodymyr Zelensky in detail in Paris. Zelensky later said he had already received a preliminary report and stressed the importance of open discussion of all issues with a clear focus on Ukraine’s sovereignty.