US, Russian envoys to explore Ukraine settlement through talks in Miami

Senior negotiators from the United States and Russia are expected to hold talks in Miami this weekend as part of renewed efforts to broker a peace agreement aimed at ending the prolonged conflict in Ukraine, according to a report by US media outlet Politico.

The meeting, which remains subject to last-minute changes, is expected to focus on recent diplomatic progress made during discussions involving US, Ukrainian and European officials in Berlin last weekend. Sources familiar with the matter said the US side would brief Russian representatives on the latest developments from those consultations.

The US delegation is expected to be led by Steve Witkoff, a special envoy of President Donald Trump, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Russian side is likely to include Kirill Dmitriev, a special envoy of President Vladimir Putin.

Separately, Ukraine’s national security advisor Rustem Umerov is also expected to meet members of the US delegation in Miami or elsewhere in the United States over the weekend, according to the report cited by Xinhua.

Officials from the Trump administration said the Berlin discussions resulted in consensus or a narrowing of differences on nearly 90 per cent of a 20-point draft peace plan prepared by the United States. The remaining issues are expected to form the basis of further negotiations with Moscow.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated that Kyiv could consider suspending its bid to join NATO in exchange for robust Western security guarantees designed to prevent any renewed conflict with Russia, should a peace agreement be reached. Ukraine is seeking assurances comparable to those provided to NATO members, commitments that Washington has so far been reluctant to formally extend.

Zelensky has also stated that Ukraine is prepared to explore security guarantees modelled on NATO’s Article 5 as part of a broader compromise in the peace process, according to Ukraine’s Ukrinform news agency.

With IANS inputs