US, Ukraine and European officials hold Miami talks as Trump announces a Russian diesel deal aimed at lowering global fuel prices.
US, Ukrainian and European officials held six hours of talks in Miami on Friday as they worked on a joint proposal to end the war in Ukraine.
The delegations hope to finalise the proposal in the coming weeks before presenting it to Russia, with the aim of achieving a breakthrough ahead of winter, a person familiar with the negotiations said.
The discussions coincided with US President Donald Trump’s announcement that Russia had agreed to supply diesel to international markets to help lower global fuel prices.
His administration also eased sanctions on Russian fuel that were intended to restrict Moscow’s revenue for financing the war, a move that drew criticism from US lawmakers and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy questioned the implications of the arrangement, arguing that revenue from Russian fuel sales could help finance the war against Ukraine.
“All that money goes toward the war against people, against Ukraine, against all of us. I believe our team is simply being used as a smokescreen. And that is certainly not fair,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said an immediate resumption of peace negotiations was unlikely following a telephone conversation with Trump, citing Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow.
The Miami meeting brought together US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Ukrainian representatives, European officials and representatives of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
According to a person familiar with the talks, the negotiators discussed a range of issues, including Ukraine’s post-war future and security guarantees involving the United States and European countries.
They also examined plans for Ukraine’s economic recovery after the conflict and a possible pathway for Kyiv to join the European Union.
On the contentious issue of territorial arrangements, the delegations considered “some ideas”, the source said, without providing further details.
Ukraine has maintained that Russia must withdraw from territories it seized during the conflict, while Trump has argued that both sides would need to make concessions to reach a settlement.
The discussions also covered the possibility of establishing a security framework between Europe and Russia to help create conditions for lasting peace in the years ahead. The source did not disclose further details about the proposals.