Third day of Ukraine settlement talks to begin in Miami

Summary

• Ukraine settlement talks in Miami face Kremlin pushback, deeming revised peace plan "unconstructive". Russia aims to gather information, signalling limited commitment.
• Zelensky hails "constructive" talks and European funding but acknowledges reliance on Russia's genuine desire to end the war, amidst ongoing Russian attacks.
• Putin expresses readiness for dialogue with Macron, welcomed by Macron's office, stressing transparency with Zelensky and allies amid strained relations.

MIAMI - The Kremlin toned down expectations ahead of a third day of Ukraine settlement talks in Miami on Dec 21, saying proposed changes to the plan to end the war were a non-starter.

Washington in November stunned Ukraine and its European allies by presenting a 28-point plan
to end the war, widely seen as caving in to the Kremlin’s key demands, which has since been redrafted following Kyiv and Europe’s involvement.

But the Kremlin is unlikely to accept the changes, as it already called them “unconstructive”, based on details available publicly.

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev “should receive information about what has been developed by the Americans and Europeans” in the plan and report that back to Moscow later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV.

A video on Russian state media showed Mr Dmitriev arriving in a motorcade at the Shell Bay luxury golf club, which belongs to US envoy Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s former real estate partner.

Ukrainian top negotiator Rustem Umerov, a former defence minister, said he was about to begin a third day of talks
with the Americans in Miami.

Mr Dmitriev, a former Goldman Sachs banker, did not bring any new message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his mission in Miami was just to “obtain information”, Mr Peskov added.

War rages on

While little is known of the latest version, Kyiv is likely to be expected to surrender some territory – a prospect resented by many Ukrainians – in exchange for US security guarantees.

The Moscow and Kyiv envoys were due to separately meet Mr Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law, Mr Jared Kushner. The Kremlin ruled out three-way talks earlier.

European envoys were also in town, said Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the talks as “constructive” and said they were “moving at a fairly rapid pace”.

He nevertheless cautioned that “much depends on whether Russia feels the need to end the war for real”.

He also hailed this week as “historic” for Ukraine, thanking Europe for pledging US$100 billion (S$129 billion) of funding over the next two years.

“We fought for it for a very long time,” he added.

Moscow’s troops have been steadily advancing at the eastern front in recent months. Mr Putin on Dec 19 hailed the Russian army’s territorial gains – and threatened more in the coming weeks.

Just over the week, “Russia has launched approximately 1,300 attack drones, nearly 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and nine missiles of various types” against Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said.

Most of them have pummelled the Black Sea region of Odesa, where relentless strikes wrought havoc on ports, bridges and energy facilities, killing eight people Dec 20.

In the eastern Sumy region, Russian troops attempted a breakthrough
in an area previously spared from an intense ground offensive. Russian forces forcibly moved 50 people from a local village, said Kyiv.

“Russian invaders have stolen five dozen civilian people, mostly elderly women, from a tiny Ukrainian village Grabovske, right across the state border in the Sumy region,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.

Russia made no comment on the matter.

Putin open to Macron call

Mr Peskov said on Dec 21 that Mr Putin expressed his willingness to talk with French President Emmanuel Macron on the conflict.

Mr Macron held several calls with the Russian leader in the run-up to and during the early months of the conflict, in an attempt to press the veteran Kremlin leader on the war.

Mr Putin has “expressed readiness to engage in dialogue with Macron”, Mr Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti.

In response, Mr Macron’s office said Mr Putin’s stated willingness to talk was “welcome”, but stressed that any discussion with Moscow would be conducted “in full transparency” with Mr Zelensky and European allies.

With mutual concerns about expansionist ambitions and almost complete distrust, the relations between the top European powers and Moscow are strained.

Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, sees Europe as pro-war and argues its participation in the talks only hinders it.

While European leaders see Russia as increasingly expansionist, especially after a string of sabotage, cyberattacks and drone incursions throughout the war.

But Mr Macron earlier in the week said he believed Europe should reach out to Mr Putin again, rather than leaving the US alone to take the lead in negotiations to end the continent’s bloodiest conflict since World War II. REUTERS