Top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration will meet with a Ukrainian delegation in the Miami area today, a White House official told CNN.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will participate in the talks, the official said.
The Ukrainian side will be led by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, who Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed following the resignation of his top aide on Friday.
How we got here: Today’s meetings mark the latest step in a flurry of diplomacy that kicked off this month after a plan put forward by Trump triggered alarm in Kyiv, as the original draft heavily favored Russia.
Ukraine is hoping to build on developments from subsequent meetings in Geneva, where Kyiv and its European allies put forward a counter-proposal. Zelensky and the Ukrainian delegation involved in the talks voiced a more upbeat assessment following the Geneva meetings, and Rubio indicated the draft was a “living, breathing document” that was evolving based on their input.
Keep in mind: There’s no indication yet of Russia’s openness to the terms being discussed by the allies.
A US team is expected to visit Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week.
Meanwhile: The talks come after Ukraine said its underwater drones struck two tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet in the Black Sea on Friday and Saturday. Both tankers sustained critical damage, said a Ukrainian security source, adding that “this will deal a significant blow to the transportation of Russian oil.”
Russia launched its largest barrage of drones and missiles in a month across Ukraine, killing at least three people overnight Friday into Saturday, according to Zelensky.
Large parts of the Ukrainian capital were without power yesterday.
