U.S. and Russian Officials Hold Talks in Miami, Continuing Efforts to Advance a Russia–Ukraine Peace Plan | WPN World People News

U.S. and Russian officials are scheduled to hold talks in Miami on the 20th to advance the U.S.-proposed Russia–Ukraine peace plan, with negotiations aimed at ending a war that has lasted nearly four years. The U.S. delegation will be led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, while the Russian side will be represented by Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation. The United States has issued a special waiver allowing the sanctioned Dmitriev to enter the country to participate in the talks.

The U.S. side is expected to discuss with Russia the outcomes of last week’s meetings in Berlin with Ukrainian and European officials. Regarding the previously proposed U.S. draft peace plan, the parties have reportedly reached consensus on about 90 percent of the issues; however, territorial concessions and security guarantees remain the two largest points of contention. Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, is also expected to meet with U.S. representatives over the weekend.

The Trump administration continues to pressure Kyiv on territorial issues, while Ukraine firmly rules out recognizing Russian control over any Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and the Donbas region. Russia, for its part, insists that the objectives of its “special military operation” must be achieved, whether through diplomatic or military means, and does not want a peace agreement to become merely a “temporary ceasefire” that would allow Ukraine time to regroup and prepare to continue the war. The United States has also proposed providing Kyiv with “robust security guarantees” similar to those under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, though no specific details have been offered. Meanwhile, the parties hold differing views on the roughly €210 billion in Russian assets previously frozen by the European Union, each hoping to take the lead in controlling and using them for postwar reconstruction.

In fact, Russian forces currently hold the initiative on the front lines. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claims that troops of its Eastern Group have taken control of Gerasimovka in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Should negotiations fail to produce an agreement, Russia has stated that it will continue to “liberate” these lands—territories it claims have historically belonged to Russia—through military means.