Florida Talks Continue as Envoy Reports “Reasonably Good” Progress with Putin
DAVIE, FLORIDA – Negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine continued for a third day Saturday in Florida, with US President Donald trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in attendance. The discussions follow meetings earlier this week between Trump’s most senior overseas envoy, Abraham Witkoff, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff spent almost five hours with Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, after which the Kremlin stated ”no compromise” had been reached on a draft US peace plan. However, Witkoff described the talks as ”reasonably good,” adding it was “to soon to say what would happen” as “it does take two to tango.” The Kremlin indicated Putin is willing to continue meetings with the Americans “as many times as needed.”
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has requested “full data about what was said in Moscow and what other pretexts Putin has come up with to drag out the war.” Kyiv is seeking revisions to the US peace plan, which initially appeared favorable to Moscow, though a recent version has not been publicly released.
Major points of contention remain,including security guarantees for Ukraine post-war and territorial concessions. Russia currently controls roughly one-fifth of ukraine’s territory, including parts of the Donbas region. Putin warned Ukrainian troops to withdraw fully from the donbas this week, stating Russia would otherwise “liberate these territories by force.” He was filmed at a Russian command post being briefed on claimed captures of cities like Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region – a claim Ukraine rejects.
Kyiv and its European allies favor Ukraine’s membership in NATO or comprehensive security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression. Russia is staunchly opposed to NATO membership for Ukraine, a position echoed by Trump, who has repeatedly signaled he has no intention of supporting Ukraine’s entry into the military alliance. The prospect of Ukraine joining NATO was a “key question” discussed in Moscow, according to the Kremlin.
A statement released marking the sixth round of discussions in two weeks emphasized that “an end to the war and credible steps toward ceasefire and de-escalation are necessary to prevent renewed aggression.”
