Zelensky's negotiators meet in Miami with Trump's envoys to push forward proposals that would end the war with Russia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky; US special envoy Steve Witkoff; and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump (REUTERS)Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's negotiating team meets this Friday and Saturday in Miami with envoys of US President Donald Trump to discuss new proposals that would allow progress toward ending the war with Russia. The talks will include European representatives and will address security guarantees for Kyiv, a postwar prosperity plan, and other aspects of the conflict. "The Ukrainian negotiating team is scheduled to meet tomorrow (Friday) in the United States with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff," Zelensky said Thursday in a voice message addressed to journalists. "The meeting is expected to last two days. We also expect a European team to join our negotiating group," he added. On Ukraine's side, presidential chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov, intelligence chief Rustem Umerov, and negotiators Sergiy Kyslytsya and David Arakhamia will take part. The US delegation will include Witkoff and Kushner, as well as representatives from the White House National Security Council and the Treasury Department. Trump's envoys also summoned national security advisers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, as well as officials from NATO and the European Union. The goal is to examine ideas and proposals that US representatives began drafting during their recent visits to Moscow and Kyiv. "The American negotiators began developing new ideas and proposals with the Russians and the Ukrainians during their recent visit to the region," explained a source familiar with the plan, cited by AFP. On Ukraine's side, presidential chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov will take part (REUTERS) Washington's diplomatic efforts were left virtually stalled after the White House's attention shifted to the conflict with Iran. At the same time, Kyiv maintains that Russia intensified its air attacks against various areas of the country. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the situation on Thursday as a dangerous stalemate. Trump, who so far has failed to secure an agreement to end the hostilities, said this week that he expects to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, although the conversation was initially expected to focus on the alleged death of a researcher at a Russian laboratory specializing in plague. Zelensky noted last week that Washington intends to push for a new round of talks between Ukraine and Russia before the end of October. The Kremlin said last month that a tripartite meeting between Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington could take place during that month. The Ukrainian leader confirmed that his government accepts the US proposal to resume as soon as possible direct talks between representatives of the three countries in the United Arab Emirates. However, according to Zelensky, Russia has not yet responded to that initiative. Direct contacts between Ukraine and Russia, with US mediation, were interrupted at the end of February, when the war with Iran broke out, and have not resumed since. Previous rounds also failed to achieve concrete progress toward an agreement, as Moscow stood firm on its conditions for ending the fighting. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the lack of negotiations on Thursday as a dangerous stalemate (AP) With Washington's backing, Kyiv proposes an immediate ceasefire that would allow negotiations to end the war without new clashes. The Kremlin has so far rejected that proposal and has also shown no interest in the meeting between Zelensky, Putin, and Trump that the Ukrainian leader is pushing for. The diplomatic initiative will take place amid an intensification of Russian attacks. According to Ukrainian authorities, recent bombings caused dozens of deaths in Ukraine. One of the most serious episodes occurred in the frontline city of Kramatorsk, where an attack on buses killed 30 people. Kyiv has asked its allies for more military aid to protect the population from attacks and for greater pressure on Moscow to abandon its military operations. Zelensky also hopes that Trump will use the additional powers provided in the so-called Graham bill, recently passed by the US Congress, to impose tariffs on countries that finance Russia's war machine by purchasing oil from that country. The economic consequences of the conflict will also be present in the Miami talks. According to a source cited by Reuters, European representatives conveyed to Washington their concern over high energy costs and other financial effects of the war. "It will be a difficult winter if the war does not end," the source warned. "That is why the United States is trying to mediate between the parties with the aim of drafting a common proposal." (With information from AFP and REUTERS)