US and Ukrainian officials sat down in Florida on Sunday to discuss outlines of a peace deal with Russia, talks that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he expected to yield progress towards ending the more than three-year war.
“It’s about creating a pathway forward that leaves Ukraine sovereign, independent and prosperous, and so we expect to make even more progress today,” Rubio said in Hallandale Beach, Florida, where the meeting took place.
“The process is not easy, because the search for formulations and solutions continues,” said a source close to the Kyiv delegation, adding that the exchanges had nevertheless been “constructive”.
Advertisement
“Everyone is interested in a practical result so that there is a subject for further negotiations between the US and Russia,” the source said.
Sunday’s discussions follow roughly two weeks of negotiations that began with a US blueprint for peace that critics said initially favoured Russia, which started the Ukraine conflict with a 2022 invasion.
Advertisement
US President Donald Trump has expressed frustration at not being able to end the war. He pledged as a presidential candidate to do so in one day and has said he was surprised it has been so hard, given what he calls a strong relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has largely resisted concessions to stop the fighting.