U.S. reports ‘constructive’ talks with Ukraine, Europe on ending war with Russia

A White House envoy said Sunday that he held “productive and constructive” talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.

Posting on social media, Steve Witkoff said the talks were aimed at aligning on a shared strategic approach among Ukraine, the United States and Europe.

“Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine’s recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity. Peace must be not only a cessation of hostilities, but also a dignified foundation for a stable future,” Witkoff wrote.

The talks are part of the Trump administration’s months-long push for an end to the war. The efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signaled he is digging in on his maximalist demands on Ukraine, as Moscow’s troops inch forward on the battlefield despite huge losses.

Positive assessments

Witkoff’s assessment comes as negotiations have been proceeding with Russia as well. A Kremlin envoy on Saturday reported progress in talks with the U.S. team in Florida.

“The discussions are proceeding constructively. They began earlier and will continue today, and will also continue tomorrow,” the Russian diplomat, Kirill Dmitriev, told reporters in Miami on Saturday. There were no immediate updates on the talks with Russia on Sunday.

Dmitriev met with Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

For Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Sunday that diplomatic efforts were “moving forward quite quickly, and our team in Florida has been working with the American side.”

The Kremlin denied Sunday that trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. were under discussion, after Zelensky said Saturday that Washington had proposed the idea of three-way discussions.

“At present, no one has seriously discussed this initiative, and to my knowledge it is not being prepared,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov, according to Russian state news agencies.

Ukrainian civilians moved to Russia

In Ukraine, the country’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, on Sunday accused Russian forces of forcibly removing about 50 Ukrainian civilians from the Ukrainian Sumy border region to Russian territory.

Writing on Telegram, he said that Russian forces illegally detained the residents in the village of Hrabovske on Thursday before moving them to Russia on Saturday.

Lubinets said he contacted Russia’s human rights commissioner, requesting information on the civilians’ whereabouts and conditions, and demanding their immediate return to Ukraine.

Possible French-Russian talks

The French presidency on Sunday welcomed Putin’s willingness to speak with President Emmanuel Macron, saying it would decide how to proceed “in the coming days.”

“As soon as the prospect of a ceasefire and peace negotiations becomes clearer, it becomes useful again to speak with Putin,” Macron’s office said in a statement. “It is welcome that the Kremlin publicly agrees to this approach.”

The statement came after reports that Putin was open to holding talks with the French president if there was mutual political will.

Macron’s office said any dialogue would aim “to contribute to a solid and lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe, in full transparency with President Zelensky and our European partners.”

European Union leaders agreed Friday to provide about $105 billion to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, although they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds. Instead, the funds will be borrowed from capital markets.