US and Ukraine delegations meet near Miami, Florida, November 30, 2025. The Americans include Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2nd from L), real estate developer Steve Witkoff (1st from L), and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner (3rd from L). Kyiv’s officials are led by Rustem Umerov, head of the National Security and Defense Council (2nd from R).
Sunday’s Coverage: Zelensky Praises US “Constructive Approach”
Seeking an end to Russia’s 46-month full-scale invasion, US and Ukrainian officials have hailed a “difficult but productive” meeting in Florida.
The delegations were working through an European counter-proposal, tabled last week in Geneva in response to a 28-point ultimatum to Ukraine — presented as Donald Trump’s “peace plan” — developed by Vladimir Putin’s senior economic advisor Kirill Dmitriev with real estate developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has led the pushback against the Trump-Kremlin ultimatum, said yesterday’s discussions were “very productive”. The meetings focused on Ukraine’s “long-term prosperity” as well as a halt to Moscow’s attacks.
I thought we started laying the groundwork in Geneva. I think we continued that work in our communications throughout the week. I think we’ve built on that today, but there’s more work to be done.
This is delicate, it’s complicated, there are a lot of moving parts, and, obviously, there’s another party involved here.
Both Witkoff and Kushner were in the US delegation, but neither gave public statements to the press.
Rustem Umerov, the Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said the talks were “productive and successful”: “We discussed all the matters that are important for Ukraine. And the U.S. was super-supportive.”
Other officials offered mixed assessments. One told CNN that the conversations were “tough but very constructive” on some of “the most sensitive issues”.
“So far so good,” they summarized.
Another, close to the Ukrainian delegation, was more guarded in remarks to AFP: “Not easy. The search for formulations and solutions continues. Everyone is interested in a practical result so that there is a subject for further negotiations between the US and Russia.”
No details were given of specific provisions.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted late Sunday night, expressing gratitude to the US delegation and to Trump “for the time that is being invested so intensively in defining the steps to end the war”.
It is important that the talks have a constructive dynamic and that all issues were discussed openly and with a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and national interests.
Trump Envoy Witkoff in Moscow on Monday
Attention turns to the Kremlin on Monday as Trump’s envoy Witkoff makes yet another visit. In previous encounters with Vladimir Putin, the real estate developer has not been accompanied by another US official and has relied on a translator from Russia’s intelligence services.
Meanwhile, Zelensky will confer with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
Witkoff, Kushner, and Dmitriev agreed on Russia seizing more territory, notably the 22% of the Donetsk region still held by Ukrainian forces in the east of the country. The rest of Ukraine would be kept in permanent weakness through a ban on NATO membership and foreign forces in the country, strict limits on Kyiv’s troop levels, and restrictions on Western military assistance.
Sanctions will be lifted on Russia in stages, and Moscow will be readmitted to the G8 group of nations. The US and Russia will pursue joint economic projects, and the Trump Administration will also get 50% of profits from Ukraine’s recovery fund.
The European counter-proposal begins with a ceasefire on the current frontlines. There is no ban on Ukraine on NATO, although there is no consensus for Kyiv’s membership. Troop levels are raised to 800,000 in peacetimes, and Western military assistance is part of security guarantees.
Russia will have to show compliance with the agreement for the removal of sanctions and G8 membership. The provision for US profits from the recovery fund, which is backed by $1 billion in frozen Russian assets, has been removed.
US Side: No Automatic Ban on Ukraine in NATO
An unnamed US official — possibly Rubio — briefed CNN that Sunday’s meeting discussed the ban on Ukraine in NATO. This would have to be agreed by NATO members, and a final decision would ultimately be made by Zelensky.
However, other arrangements would not necessarily require Kyiv’s consent.
Ukraine will not be pushed to officially, in the legal sense, reject this aspiration….
But if the United States has something to agree upon with Russia bilaterally, or if Russia wants to receive some assurances from NATO multilaterally, then this is not engaging Ukraine in the decision-making process.
The official also pushed back the Trump-Kremlin provision for Russia to seize the rest of the Donetsk region.
The idea to give up the control to Russians, where it would significantly weaken Ukraine’s defense and make further potential aggression more likely to happen and significantly decrease Ukraine’s capability, this is out of the scope.
But that doesn’t mean that there are no potential ways of preserving the constitutional provisions and keeping Ukraine’s security.
