HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) 鈥� U.S. and Ukrainian officials completed roughly four hours of talks Sunday aimed at finding an endgame to the just days before a U.S. envoy is due in Moscow for talks with
Secretary of State told reporters afterward that the session with the Ukrainian team in Florida was productive but work remains in the search for a peace deal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about the terms that ends fighting,鈥� Rubio said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity. … I think we built on that today, but there鈥檚 more work to be done.”
President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to meet with Putin in Moscow in the next few days.
Rubio, Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, represented the American side in the high-level talks, held at a sensitive time as Ukraine continues to push back against Russian forces that invaded in 2022 while dealing with a corruption scandal.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was briefed by them and that 鈥淯kraine’s got some difficult little problems,鈥� referring to the corruption scandal, which he said was 鈥渘ot helpful.鈥� The president added that “there’s a good chance we can make a deal.”
Ukrainian President ‘s government has been roiled by fallout from a embezzled from the energy sector through kickbacks paid by contractors, causing newfound domestic pressures for Zelenskyy.
Diplomats have focused on revisions to a proposed U.S.-authored that was developed in negotiations between Washington and Moscow. That plan has been criticized as being too weighted toward Russian demands. As the meeting began Sunday, Rubio focused on reassuring Ukraine.
As the teams sat down at the Shell Bay Club, a golf and racket club developed by Witkoff in Hallandale Beach, Rubio said the goal goes beyond peace to “securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.鈥�
Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine鈥檚 security council, responded to Rubio by expressing his country’s appreciation for U.S. efforts, a message geared toward Trump, who has at times claimed that Ukraine has not been sufficiently grateful for U.S. assistance during the war.
鈥淯.S. is hearing us,” Umerov said before the meeting. “U.S. is supporting us. U.S. is working beside us.鈥�
Umerov, who appeared with Rubio to deliver a brief statement to reporters after the talks, underscored Ukraine鈥檚 gratitude for U.S. support during nearly four-year war. But he offered no hints about what, if any, progress was made during the talks.
Rubio said the talks were comprehensive and went beyond finding agreement on ending the fighting. Trump has repeatedly said that if Ukraine builds deeper commercial ties to the United States it can help deter Russian aggression in the future.
To that end, the U.S. and Ukraine this spring granting American .
Among measures included in Trump鈥檚 draft peace proposal is the creation of a Ukraine Development Fund to invest in fast-growing industries, including technology, data centers and artificial intelligence. The proposal also calls for Washington to cooperate with Kyiv to jointly rebuild, develop, modernize and operate Ukraine鈥檚 natural gas infrastructure, including pipelines and storage facilities. Russia has repeatedly bombarded Ukraine鈥檚 energy infrastructure during the war.
鈥淲e also want to help Ukraine be safe forever, so never again will they face another invasion. And equally importantly, we want them to enter an age of true prosperity,鈥� Rubio said. 鈥淲e want the Ukrainian people to emerge from this war not just to rebuild their country, but to build it back in a way that will be stronger and more prosperous than it’s ever been.鈥�
Umerov has been involved in the talks. But , Ukraine’s head negotiator had been , the powerful chief of staff for . On Friday, Zelenskyy announced the resignation of Yermak, after his home was searched by investigators.
It was only a week ago that Rubio had met with Yermak in Geneva, with each side saying the talks had been positive in putting together a revised peace plan.
Among the other members of the Ukrainian delegation were , the head of Ukraine鈥檚 armed forces, and presidential adviser Oleksandr Bevz.
The earlier 28-point plan, which Trump has since played down as a 鈥渃oncept鈥� or a 鈥渕ap鈥� to be 鈥渇ine-tuned,鈥� would have imposed limits on the size of Ukraine鈥檚 military, blocked the country from joining NATO and required Ukraine to hold elections in 100 days. Negotiators have indicated the framework has changed, but it鈥檚 not clear how its provisions have been altered.
It had initially envisioned Ukraine ceding the entire to Russia 鈥� a sticking point for Kyiv.
Trump said on Tuesday that he would send Witkoff and perhaps Kushner to Moscow this week to meet with Putin about the plan. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments published Sunday on Russian state television, said Putin would see Witkoff before Thursday, when Putin departs for India.
Both Witkoff and Kushner, like Trump, hail from the world of real estate that values dealmaking over the conventions of diplomacy. The pair also were behind a that led to a ceasefire in Gaza.
In his nightly address on Saturday, Zelenskyy said the American side was 鈥渄emonstrating a constructive approach.鈥�
鈥淚n the coming days it is feasible to flesh out the steps to determine how to bring the war to a dignified end,鈥� he said.
Attacks continue despite diplomatic efforts to end the war
On Saturday, Russian drone and missile attacks in and around Ukraine鈥檚 capital, Kyiv, killed at least three people and wounded dozens more, officials said. Fresh attacks overnight into Sunday killed one person and wounded 19 others, including four children, local officials said, when a drone hit a nine-story apartment block in the city of Vyshhorod in the Kyiv region.
In a post on Telegram Sunday, Zelenskyy said Russia had attacked Ukraine with 122 strike drones and ballistic missiles.
鈥淪uch attacks occur daily. This week alone, Russians have used nearly 1,400 strike drones, 1,100 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles against our people. That is why we must strengthen Ukraine鈥檚 resilience every day. Missiles and air defense systems are necessary, and we must also actively work with our partners for peace,鈥� Zelenskyy said.
鈥淲e need real, reliable solutions that will help end the war,鈥� he added.
After Ukraine claimed responsibility for damaging a major oil terminal on Saturday near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, owned by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Kazakhstan told Ukraine on Sunday to stop attacking the Black Sea terminal. The CPC pipeline, which starts in Kazakhstan and ends at the Novorossisyk terminal, handles a large proportion of Kazakhstan’s oil exports.
鈥淲e view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
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Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Elise Morton in London contributed to this report.
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