Ukraine’s Zelensky says several draft documents ready after Miami talks

Summary

• US and Ukrainian officials met in Miami to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war, leading to draft documents on security guarantees.
• Zelensky stated the drafts cover security guarantees, recovery, and a framework for ending the war, aiming to prevent future Russian invasions.
• Despite the talks, the Kremlin stated the US-Russia discussions in Miami shouldn't be viewed as a breakthrough in resolving the conflict.

KYIV - President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec 23 that several draft documents, including on security guarantees, have been prepared after talks between US and Ukrainian officials on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

US officials held talks in Miami at the weekend with Ukrainian and European delegations, and had separate talks in Florida with Russian representatives as Washington tests the scope for a settlement after nearly four years of war.

Kyiv, under US pressure to quickly secure peace, has sought to balance out an initial proposal widely seen as favourable to Moscow
demanding it cede more territory and restrict its military capabilities.

“They worked productively with envoys of President (Donald) Trump and several draft documents have now been prepared,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X, after being briefed by Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Andrii Hnatov.

“In particular, these include documents on security guarantees for Ukraine, on recovery, and on a basic framework for ending this war.”

Ukrainian officials have sought strong security guarantees from allies to prevent another Russian invasion after any peace deal.

“The points for today have been set in such a way as to correspond to the objective of actually ending the war and the need to prevent a third Russian invasion,” Mr Zelensky added.

Russia also sent troops into Ukraine in 2014, when it seized and annexed Crimea and backed a separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky made his comments after a heavy Russian air attack on Ukraine’s energy system that killed at least three people and caused widespread power outages as Ukrainians geared up to celebrate Christmas.

Russian news outlet Izvestia quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the talks between Russia and the United States in Miami on ways to resolve the conflict in Ukraine should not be seen as a breakthrough. REUTERS