On Sunday, the Kremlin dismissed reports of ongoing discussions about three-way negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, as diplomats convened in Miami to pursue an end to the conflict.
The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that the U.S. had proposed the idea of trilateral negotiations, which would be the first in-person talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in six months. However, Zelensky expressed doubt that this format would lead to meaningful progress.
Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yury Ushakov told reporters, as reported by Russian news agencies, “Currently, no one has seriously entertained this initiative, and, to my knowledge, there isn’t any preparation taking place.”
Ushakov also indicated that he had not received an updated U.S. proposal regarding the resolution of the conflict following prior discussions involving American, Ukrainian, and European diplomats.
Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s economic envoy, arrived in Miami on Saturday, where Ukrainian and European delegations had been meeting since Friday, with negotiations being facilitated by White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Ushakov noted that Dmitriev would soon travel back to Moscow to inform officials about the ongoing discussions.
The last direct meetings between Ukrainian and Russian officials were held in July in Istanbul, resulting in significant prisoner exchanges but yielding minimal advancement towards ending the full-scale invasion, which is nearing its fourth year.
While the involvement of both Russian and European representatives in Miami represents a departure from previous rounds of shuttle diplomacy, the deep-seated distrust between the two sides raises concerns regarding the likelihood of successful direct discussions.
Moscow has contended that European participation complicates the negotiation process; nonetheless, the Kremlin stated on Sunday that Putin is willing to engage in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron’s office responded that such a statement was “welcomed.”
In a separate update, Zelensky shared on social media that over the past week, Russia had launched approximately 1,300 drones, nearly 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and nine missiles against Ukraine, with the southern regions, particularly Odesa, experiencing significant impact.
