Top U.S. negotiators working toward ending the war in Ukraine are on the way to Russia after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had a productive meeting with Ukrainian officials.
U.S. and Ukrainian delegations wrapped up roughly four hours of discussion in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on Nov. 30.
Involved in the discussions were U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Witkoff will head to Russia on Dec. 1 to continue negotiations.
Following the meeting with Ukrainian officials Rubio told reporters that progress had been made in reaching an endgame to the war but that work remains.
“It’s not just about the terms that ends fighting,” Rubio said. “It’s about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity. … I think we built on that today, but there’s more work to be done.”
Before the talks had wrapped, Rubio said he expected the Trump administration to “make even more progress.”
“The end goal, obviously, is not just the end of the war,” he said. “But it’s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.”
Speaking about the efforts to end the war, Trump told reporters that Rubio and company are “doing pretty well” with the negotiations.
“Ukraine’s got some difficult little problems. We have some difficult problems, but I think Russia would like to see it end. And I know Ukraine would like to see it [end].”
“I think there’s a good chance we can make a deal,” Trump added.
The Ukrainian delegation lost its lead negotiator between Kyiv and Washington, according to an announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Nov. 28. Zelenskyy said his chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, has resigned following a home search by anti-corruption investigators.
Government investigators had uncovered that $100 million was embezzled from Ukraine’s energy sector via kickbacks that contractors had paid. Although neither Zelenskyy nor Yermak has been accused of wrongdoing by those leading the investigation, the Ukrainian president’s political opponents have pushed for more accountability of senior leaders in Kyiv’s government.
The meeting in Florida is occurring just a week after Rubio met with Yermak in Geneva, with both sides expressing positivity over a revised peace plan from Washington.
With Yermak out, the Ukrainian delegation now includes Andrii Hnatov, who leads Ukraine’s armed forces; Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha; and Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s security council, according to Zelenskyy.
The teams have been hashing out changes to Trump’s proposed 28-point peace plan.
Some, including several U.S. lawmakers, criticized the plan as being too favorable to Russian demands, as it initially planned to compel Ukraine to cede the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, which Kyiv is against.
Trump has said his plan is more of a concept and open to negotiation. It calls for putting limits on the size of Ukraine’s military, preventing Kyiv from joining NATO, and requiring new presidential elections in Ukraine in 100 days.
While negotiators have suggested that portions of the framework have changed, it’s not yet clear what has been altered.
On Nov. 25, Trump said he would send Witkoff and possibly Kushner to Moscow this coming week. Both were key players in the 20-point plan that established a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Zelenskyy said in his nightly address posted to social media on Nov. 29 that his team should already be in the United States by the evening hours and that discussions are continuing, based on the points hammered out in Geneva.
“The American side is demonstrating a constructive approach, and in the coming days it is feasible to flesh out the steps to determine how to bring the war to a dignified end,” he said. “The Ukrainian delegation has the necessary directives, and I expect the guys to work in accordance with clear Ukrainian priorities.”
Ukraine Says Russian Attacks Continue
Ukrainian officials said that Russian drone and missile attacks in and around Kyiv on Nov. 29 killed at least three people and left dozens wounded. New attacks overnight into the morning of Nov. 30 killed another person and wounded 19, including four children, according to local officials.
A drone had struck a nine-story apartment complex in Vyshhorod, a city in the Kyiv region.
In a Nov. 30 post on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Moscow had hit Ukraine with 122 strike drones and ballistic missiles.
“Such attacks occur daily,” Zelenskyy said. “This week alone, Russians have used nearly 1,400 strike drones, 1,100 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles against our people. That is why we must strengthen Ukraine’s resilience every day. Missiles and air defense systems are necessary, and we must also actively work with our partners for peace. We need real, reliable solutions that will help end the war.”
Kazakhstan told Ukraine on Nov. 30 to quit striking the Black Sea terminal after Kyiv accepted responsibility for damaging a critical oil terminal the day prior near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, which the Caspian Pipeline Consortium owns.
The pipeline begins in Kazakhstan and ends at the Novorossiysk terminal, and it is used for a large percentage of Kazakhstan’s oil exports.
“We view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated which U.S. officials were confirmed to be heading to Russia and when they were set to leave. The Epoch Times regrets the errors.
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
