THE most recent round of talks between U.S. and Ukrainian representatives, as well as U.S. and Russian officials, took place in Florida. These discussions were described as "productive," but major issues and disagreements still exist.
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"Productive talks"
On Saturday, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.
On Sunday, Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner met with Ukrainian and European officials. They also had a separate meeting with the Ukrainian delegation led by senior official Rustem Umerov.
In a social media post, Witkoff called the Sunday talks "productive and constructive," highlighting a "shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States, and Europe."
He said the U.S.-Ukraine meeting focused on four main topics: expanding the U.S.-drafted 20-point plan, creating a multilateral security guarantee framework, establishing a U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine, and improving economic development to help rebuild the country. He added that the talks especially focused on "timelines" and "the order of next steps."
Umerov repeated Ukraine’s commitment to achieving a fair and lasting peace.
He said the country’s goal is to stop the violence, ensure security, and create conditions for recovery, stability, and future prosperity. He also said peace must be more than just stopping fighting—it must also build a respected future. He said Ukraine will keep working closely with the U.S. and Europe in the coming steps.
In another social media post, Witkoff described his talks with Dmitriev as "productive and constructive."
"Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine," Witkoff wrote.
"Russia highly values the efforts and support of the United States to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and restore global security."
Dmitriev echoed Witkoff, saying that discussions are moving forward in a constructive way.
However, challenges remain.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Sunday that Ukrainian and European input into the peace proposals had not improved the chances for peace, but added that Dmitriev was returning to Moscow on Monday to report to Putin about the talks.
"After that, we will form the position we will use in our discussions with the Americans," Ushakov said.
The Florida meetings were the latest in a series of talks between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine about the 20-point plan to end the nearly four-year-old war.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement quickly.
But Russia wants to keep the areas it has captured, while Kyiv refuses to give any land.
Experts caution that it is still unclear if a major breakthrough will happen.
Su Xiaohui, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said the Russia-U.S. discussions were mainly technical and that it’s unlikely all issues will be settled in one meeting.
Su said a "peace plan" is unlikely in the short term because territorial control is a central issue and there are deep differences between U.S. and Russian goals.
The U.S. wants short-term progress to get out of the conflict, while Russia wants a complete resolution of its issues with the West.
While Ukraine might be willing to make some concessions, Su said the main disputes between Russia and Ukraine are still unresolved, suggesting that real peace is still far away.