On November 30, a meeting of the American and Ukrainian delegations was held in Florida (USA).
This was reported by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Rustem Umerov. He headed the Ukrainian delegation in place of the former head of the National Security and Defense Council Andriy Yermak.
According to Umerov, he will report to Zelensky on the results of todayʼs meetings.
The US was represented at the talks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trumpʼs special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trumpʼs son-in-law Jared Kushner.
In his opening remarks, Umerov thanked the US and Trump for their support, highlighted progress in recent months, and said the parties were working on Ukraineʼs future: security, prevention of new aggression, recovery, and prosperity. He stressed that the US "hears and supports" Ukraine, and expressed hope for a productive meeting.
Rubio stressed the importance of continuing to build on what was achieved in Geneva and further engagement over the past week. The goal, he said, is not only to end the war, but to ensure a conclusion that preserves Ukraineʼs independence and sovereignty.
He emphasized that Ukraine has "huge economic potential", and a proper end to the war will create a mechanism for moving forward so that "war never happens again."
After the meeting, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia wrote in X that the start of the talks in Florida was "good", adding that "the warm atmosphere promotes progress".
The US peace plan and negotiations to end the war in Ukraine
Earlier, Bloomberg, citing sources, wrote that on November 28, she left for the United States to further discuss a plan to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. Later, President Volodymyr Zelensky approved the composition of the delegation from Ukraine, which will participate in peace negotiations with the United States, international partners, and the Russian Federation.
The presidential decree confirms that the delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov. It also includes:
- Advisor to the Presidentʼs Office Oleksandr Bevz;
- Head of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov;
- Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov;
- Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Oleh Ivashchenko;
- First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Serhiy Kyslytsia;
- First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Yevhen Ostryanskyi;
- Deputy Head of SBU Oleksandr Poklad;
- Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defenseʼs Directorate of Internal Affairs Vadym Skibitsky.
Axios, citing two Ukrainian officials, wrote that Yermak was dismissed from his post as head of OP the day before his planned trip to negotiations in Miami.
The purpose of this meeting is to finally agree on the positions of the US and Ukraine on the draft peace agreement before Witkoff and Kushner travel to Moscow for talks with Putin.
The Telegraph previously wrote that Donald Trump sent Witkoff and his son-in-law to Moscow to personally convey to Putin that the United States is ready to recognize Russiaʼs control over Crimea and other occupied Ukrainian territories in exchange for Russia signing a peace agreement.
Putin recently stated that for Russia, legal recognition of Crimea and Donbas as "Russian" will be one of the key issues in negotiations on a peace plan.
The first version of the peace plan proposed by the United States consisted of 28 points. One of the main provisions concerned territories and provided that Crimea, as well as the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, would be recognized as de facto Russian.
Reuters wrote that these points were based on a document that the Russian side gave to the Americans.
Ukraine, the United States, and European partners held a series of talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 23. After all the meetings, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported "tremendous progress".
Financial Times sources wrote that the American plan was reduced from 28 points to 19.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the document retained the points on the need to release civilians and prisoners of war on an "all for all" basis and return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. He also confirmed that the plan had been shortened and Ukraineʼs position had been taken into account.
Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia, who was part of the delegation, said that the US agreed not to limit the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 600 000, and the clause on amnesty for potential war criminals was reworked to take into account "complaints of those who suffered in the war".
The most contentious issues have been put on hold, including the issue of territories and relations between the United States, NATO, and Russia. They are to be discussed by Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.