U.S. and Ukrainian officials held high-level talks in Florida on Sunday aimed at establishing “reliable security guarantees” for Kyiv, part of a Washington-backed initiative to secure Ukraine’s future amid the ongoing war with Russia.
The U.S. delegation was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and included Steve Stafkov, along with real estate investor Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former senior advisor to President Donald Trump. The Ukrainian delegation was headed by Rustem Umerov, chair of Kyiv’s National Security and Defense Council.
Rubio described the discussions as “productive” while emphasizing that “there is more work to be done.” He acknowledged the complexity of the situation, saying, “This is delicate. It’s complicated,” but expressed cautious optimism about the talks.
The negotiations focused not on immediately ending the war but on laying the groundwork for Ukraine’s long-term development and prosperity. Rubio stressed that respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty is crucial to achieving lasting progress, adding, “It is about securing Ukraine’s future, a future that we hope will be more prosperous than it’s ever been.”
Acknowledging the role of Russia in any lasting solution, Rubio said the U.S. has been in “varying degrees” of contact with Moscow and has a “pretty good understanding of their views as well.” Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Moscow on Monday for further discussions with Russian officials.
The talks follow a meeting in Geneva last week where Rubio and Ukrainian negotiators revised President Trump’s peace plan, which had previously drawn criticism for aligning too closely with Russian demands.
Rubio concluded by noting the complexity of the negotiations, saying there are “a lot of moving parts,” but reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to a collaborative approach toward ensuring Ukraine’s security and development.
