Rubio says ‘more work remains’ after talks with Ukraine on revised peace plan

Officials from Ukraine and the United States have held a new round of discussions aimed at outlining “reliable security guarantees” for Kyiv as part of a Washington-backed initiative to end Russia’s invasion. The talks, held in Florida on Sunday, come as negotiators attempt to refine a peace framework that has already undergone significant revisions since its first draft.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who hosted the Ukrainian delegation led by National Security and Defence Council head Rustem Umerov, described the meeting as “productive”, while cautioning that “more work” remains. “This is delicate. It’s complicated,” Rubio told reporters, noting that the process involves “a lot of moving parts” and ultimately requires Russian participation.

Al Jazeera reported that the meeting was also attended by developer Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Witkoff is scheduled to fly to Moscow on Monday for talks with Russian officials, with President Vladimir Putin expected to take part later in the week.

Rubio said Washington had maintained contact with Moscow “in varying degrees” and had “a pretty good understanding” of its position. The Florida meeting followed earlier negotiations in Geneva, where Rubio and Ukrainian representatives worked to revise Trump’s original peace plan after it drew strong criticism from Kyiv and European partners.

Umerov said on X ahead of the talks that Ukraine was entering discussions with clear priorities: safeguarding national interests, ensuring meaningful dialogue, and building on progress made in Geneva. After the meeting, he said the US side had been “super supportive” and that all major issues were discussed.

Trump’s initial 28-point plan reportedly included provisions for Ukraine to cede the entire Donbas region, scale down its armed forces and abandon its NATO aspirations. The US later pared the document to 19 points, though the details of the current draft remain undisclosed. Despite the controversy, Putin said the US proposal could form a “basis for future agreements” and signalled that talks with Witkoff would focus on Crimea and the occupied Donbas.

The diplomatic manoeuvring comes at a fraught time for Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is grappling with a corruption scandal that forced the resignation of his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian official who had engaged with Rubio in Geneva. Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, referenced the scandal but said he believed “there’s a good chance we can make a deal”.

Zelenskyy later wrote on X that the US was taking a “constructive approach”, adding that concrete steps to end the war “with dignity” could be outlined in the coming days. He also spoke with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Sunday, noting that “much can change” during this critical period. The French presidency announced that President Emmanuel Macron will host Zelenskyy in Paris on Monday.

Theresa Fallon, director of the Brussels-based Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies, told Al Jazeera that despite war fatigue and mounting winter challenges, Ukraine still requires firm backing from Europe and the US to secure a favourable settlement. She warned that Moscow “should not be rewarded” for launching the conflict, but acknowledged that Kyiv faces “a really long haul”, particularly given limited European support and the Trump administration’s preference for selling weapons to Europe rather than supplying Ukraine directly.

Meanwhile, Russian forces claimed further gains on the battlefield and launched renewed strikes on Ukrainian cities. A drone attack on the outskirts of Kyiv on Sunday killed one person and injured 11, the regional governor said. Overnight assaults on Saturday left six dead, dozens wounded and cut power to 400,000 households in the capital.

A Ukrainian security source said Kyiv was behind attacks on two oil tankers in the Black Sea believed to be covertly transporting Russian crude under sanctions. A separate strike halted operations at one of Russia’s largest oil terminals operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which includes Chevron and ExxonMobil. The CPC denounced the incident as a “terrorist attack”. Ukraine, which frequently targets Russian energy infrastructure to undermine Moscow’s war financing, did not comment on the operation.