Senior Ukrainian and US negotiators have urged Russia to demonstrate a “serious commitment to long-term peace” after recent talks in Moscow failed to deliver any breakthrough.
The call was made in a joint statement by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security council, following two days of what they described as constructive discussions in Florida. They said progress towards ending the war depends on Russia’s willingness to take concrete steps towards de-escalation and an end to the killing.
The talks, which are set to continue for a third day on Saturday, are also being attended by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. The discussions mark the sixth round of negotiations in the past two weeks.
“An end to the war and credible steps towards ceasefire and de-escalation are necessary to prevent renewed aggression,” the joint statement said.
Ukraine’s delegation was briefed during the Florida meetings on Witkoff’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week. Witkoff spent nearly five hours meeting Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, but the Kremlin later confirmed that no compromise had been reached on a US-drafted peace plan.
While the Kremlin said Putin remains open to further talks with US officials, Ukraine and its European allies have questioned Russia’s commitment to ending the conflict. On Friday, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said he wanted full clarity on what was discussed in Moscow and accused Putin of finding new excuses to prolong the war.
Kyiv has pushed for changes to the US peace proposal, which was widely viewed as favouring Russia after an early version was leaked. Although the plan has since been revised, the latest version has not been made public.
Key disagreements remain unresolved, including security guarantees for Ukraine and potential territorial concessions. Russia currently occupies around 20% of Ukrainian territory, including large parts of the eastern Donbas region.
In an interview with India Today, President Putin warned Ukrainian forces to withdraw fully from the region this week or face what he described as Russia “liberating” the territories by force. He was also recently filmed at a military command post wearing army fatigues, where Russian commanders claimed they had captured the strategic city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk — a claim Kyiv strongly denies.
Ukraine and its European partners argue that Nato membership or robust international security guarantees are the best way to prevent renewed Russian aggression. Russia strongly opposes this, a position echoed by President Trump, who has repeatedly ruled out Nato membership for Ukraine.
