US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that talks with Ukrainian representatives on a peace plan are productive, but there is still a lot of work to do, writes the BBC.
The meeting in Florida was attended by a team led by the Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine Rustam Umerov, and also included US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Witkoff is also scheduled to travel to Moscow in early December.
Umerov replaced the usual negotiator, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak, in the Ukrainian delegation. Yermak resigned after his home was searched in connection with a corruption case.
The meeting on the 30th of November, like others over the past two weeks, revolved around a US-drafted peace plan that was leaked to the media and made public on the 21st of November. The 28-point plan shocked both Kyiv and its European allies because it largely met Russia’s demands. The plan has since been revised and shortened.
Rubio, meeting with Ukrainian officials, said
the plan was not just about ending the war — it was also about moving Ukraine toward long-term prosperity.
The secretary said much had been said, but more work needed to be done. Rubio added that the goal of the peace talks was for Ukraine to maintain its sovereignty, independence, and prosperity.
Umerov said before the talks that the discussion would focus on Ukraine’s future, its security, preventing future aggression, and Ukraine’s reconstruction. The Ukrainian said the United States heard him, supported him, and was working with Ukraine. Umerov later said the talks had been successful.
Trump said on the 30th of November that the talks were going well and that there was a chance that they would finally be able to end the conflict. He had previously indicated that he might send Witkoff and also Kushner to Moscow to meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to discuss a revised peace plan.
In a post on social media, Zelensky said it was important that the talks were constructive, and that all issues were discussed openly, with a clear focus on defending Ukraine’s interests. He added that he was grateful to Trump for his efforts.
Read also: Merkel: I didn’t blame the Baltic states and Poland for the war in Ukraine
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