Kyiv [Ukraine], December 1 (ANI): Officials from Ukraine and the United States held talks aimed at establishing “reliable security guarantees” for Kyiv as part of a Washington-backed peace plan to end the Russia–Ukraine war, Al Jazeera reported.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who met with a Ukrainian delegation led by Rustem Umerov, head of Kyiv’s National Security and Defence Council, described the Sunday discussions as “productive” but noted that “more work [is] to be done.”
“This is delicate. It’s complicated,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.
The talks took place in Florida and included representatives Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Moscow on Monday to meet Russian counterparts later this week.
Rubio told reporters that while the process is challenging, there is optimism. “As we’ve made progress, I think there is a shared vision here that this is not just about ending the war. It is about securing Ukraine’s future, a future that we hope will be more prosperous than it’s ever been,” he said, as per Al Jazeera.
He added that the discussions involve “a lot of moving parts” and emphasized that Russia, “another party involved,” must be part of the equation. Rubio noted that the U.S. has been in varying degrees of contact with Russian officials and has a solid understanding of their views.
The talks followed a Geneva meeting last week between Rubio and Ukrainian negotiators to revise former President Trump’s peace plan, which had initially faced criticism as aligning with Russian interests.
Ahead of the meeting, Umerov wrote on X that Ukraine had clear directives and priorities: “safeguarding Ukrainian interests, ensuring substantive dialogue, and advancing on the basis of the progress achieved in Geneva.” He added that negotiators aim to “secure real peace for Ukraine and reliable, long-term security guarantees.”
The session set the stage for Witkoff’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Trump indicated would occur this week. Putin said the U.S. draft, not yet published, could serve as a “basis for future agreements,” emphasizing that his discussions with Witkoff should focus on the Russian-occupied Donbas and Crimea regions, according to Al Jazeera.
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