Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev announced on Saturday that he was en route to Miami, where a new round of discussions aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine was scheduled to occur.
Delegations from Ukraine and Europe were also present in the southern U.S. city for the negotiations, facilitated by Steve Witkoff, an envoy of Donald Trump, along with Jared Kushner, the U.S. president’s son-in-law.
Trump’s representatives have advocated for a plan in which the U.S. would provide security assurances to Ukraine, while it is anticipated that Kyiv may have to concede some territorial claims, a possibility that is met with significant resistance among many Ukrainians.
Nonetheless, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised on Friday that Ukraine would not be coerced into any deal, stating, “there’s no peace agreement unless Ukraine consents to it.” He mentioned that he might participate in the discussions on Saturday in Miami, his hometown.
“On my way to Miami,” Dmitriev posted on X, including a peace dove emoji and sharing a short clip of the sun breaking through clouds over a beach lined with palm trees.
“As those who promote war work tirelessly to sabotage the U.S. peace initiative for Ukraine, this video from my last visit reminded me of light piercing through storm clouds,” he added.
The inclusion of Russian and European participants in these discussions represents a positive shift from earlier phases, where American negotiators engaged separately with each party in different venues.
However, it is improbable that Dmitriev would engage in direct conversations with Ukrainian and European representatives due to the highly tense relations between the two sides.
Since deploying troops to Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has asserted that Europe’s participation in the discussions could complicate the process and often depicts the continent’s leaders as proponents of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on Saturday that the U.S. had proposed the first in-person negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in six months.
“They suggested this format as far as I understood: Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia,” Zelensky noted, adding that European representatives could attend, stating it would be “logical to conduct such a joint session… after we grasp the potential outcomes of the previous meeting.”
The last instance of official direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian envoys occurred in July in Istanbul, which resulted in prisoner exchanges but little substantive advancement otherwise.
These weekend discussions come on the heels of President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to continue his military offensive in Ukraine, praising Moscow’s achievements on the battlefield nearly four years into the conflict during an annual news briefing on Friday.
On Saturday, Russia declared it had taken control of two villages in the Sumy and Donetsk regions of Ukraine, exacerbating its campaign in the eastern part of the country amidst fierce and costly battles.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s Odesa region along the Black Sea, the death toll from a recent Russian ballistic missile strike on port facilities rose to eight, with nearly thirty others injured in the assault.
At the same time, Ukraine reported the destruction of two Russian fighter jets at an airbase in occupied Crimea, according to its security service, SBU.
In February 2022, Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, characterizing it as a “special military operation” aimed at demilitarizing the country and staving off NATO’s expansion.
Kyiv and its European allies contend that this war, the largest and deadliest conflict on European soil since World War II, is an unprovoked and unlawful land grab that has unleashed widespread violence and devastation.
