US President Donald Trump’s top envoys have begun two days of negotiations with Ukrainian and European representatives in Miami, focusing on preparations for the coming winter and potential ways to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict on terms that would be acceptable to Moscow.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff described Friday’s discussions as “constructive,” saying US representatives had discussed prospects for a “lasting peace” with Kiev and its most hawkish European backers, including Britain, France and Germany, as well as officials from the European Commission and NATO.
The talks covered “near-term measures related to winter preparedness,” including energy resilience and grain exports, as well as longer-term security guarantees, post-war reconstruction and Ukraine’s potential accession to the EU, according to Witkoff.
“The exchange was productive and helped identify areas for further exploration ahead of the United States’ next engagement with Russia,” he wrote on X.
The negotiations were scheduled to continue on Saturday, and no concrete agreements or breakthroughs have been announced so far.
The US delegation is led by Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, while Kiev is represented by Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff, Kirill Budanov, foreign intelligence chief Rustem Umerov, deputy chief of staff Sergey Kislitsa and senior lawmaker David Arakhamia.
The European delegation includes Bjoern Seibert, chief of staff to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and national security advisers from Britain, France and Germany. NATO is represented by Geoffrey van Leeuwen, chief of staff to Secretary General Mark Rutte, according to European media reports.
The talks follow reports that Witkoff and Kushner were preparing to present “new ideas and proposals” aimed at breaking the diplomatic deadlock. According to Axios, the pair could travel to Moscow later this month for further talks with Putin.
One proposal under consideration reportedly involves a partial ceasefire covering strikes on energy infrastructure, amid growing anxiety among Kiev’s European backers over the economic and energy consequences of the conflict.
“They are all nervous about the winter. It will be a tough winter if the war does not stop,” a US source previously told AFP.
The Miami meeting also coincided with a 90-minute phone conversation between Trump and Putin on Friday, during which the leaders discussed Ukraine, Iran and a major agreement to resume Russian diesel supplies to American and global markets.
Zelensky lashed out at Trump, effectively accusing Washington of stabbing Kiev in the back by striking a separate diesel deal with Moscow. Zelensky branded the move “a weak decision by strong partners” and accused the US of using the Ukrainian delegation in Miami as a “smokescreen” while negotiating with Putin behind Kiev’s back.
Trump has repeatedly pressed Zelensky to halt Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, blaming them for worsening a global diesel shortage and driving up fuel prices for American consumers. According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Trump promised Putin that he would convey Moscow’s position to the Ukrainian delegation in Miami.