HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — U.S. and Ukrainian officials held about four hours of talks Sunday aimed at finding an endgame to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the session was productive but that much work remains in the search for a peace deal.
“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.”
The high-level meeting came days before President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to travel to Moscow to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Rubio, Witkoff and Jared Kushner represented the American side; Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s security council, led the Ukrainian delegation. Other Ukrainian members included Andrii Hnatov, head of the armed forces, and presidential adviser Oleksandr Bevz.
Diplomats focused on revisions to a proposed U.S.-authored plan negotiated with Moscow that critics say favors Russian demands. Rubio emphasized reassuring Ukraine that any settlement must preserve its sovereignty, independence and prospects for prosperity. “The end goal is, obviously, not just the end of the war,” he said.
Umerov thanked the U.S. for its support and said Washington was “hearing us” and “working beside us,” but he offered no specifics on progress from the meeting at the Shell Bay Club, a golf and racket club developed by Witkoff in Hallandale Beach.
The talks come as Ukraine grapples with a domestic corruption scandal that led to the resignation of Andrii Yermak as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff and head negotiator after his home was searched by anti-corruption investigators. The government has been shaken by revelations of about $100 million embezzled from the energy sector through contractor kickbacks.
Last week Rubio met with Yermak in Geneva, with both sides calling those discussions positive toward revising the plan. The U.S.-brokered framework — described by Trump as a “concept” or “map” to be “fine-tuned” — reportedly would limit the size of Ukraine’s military, bar NATO membership, require elections within 100 days and initially envisioned ceding the Donbas region to Russia, a major sticking point for Kyiv. Negotiators say the framework has been changing, but details remain unclear.
Trump said he would send Witkoff and perhaps Kushner to Moscow to discuss the plan with Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin would meet Witkoff before leaving for India on Thursday. Witkoff and Kushner, both from the real estate world and involved in a 20-point Gaza ceasefire proposal, favor dealmaking over traditional diplomacy.
Zelenskyy posted on X that the Ukrainian delegation would “swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war,” and in a nightly address praised the American side for a “constructive approach,” saying it was feasible in coming days to flesh out steps toward a “dignified end.”
Attacks continued despite the diplomatic push. Russian drone and missile strikes around Kyiv killed at least three people and wounded dozens on Saturday; overnight into Sunday, a drone strike hit a nine-story apartment block in Vyshhorod, killing one and wounding 19, including four children. On Telegram, Zelenskyy said Russia used 122 strike drones and ballistic missiles in a recent wave, and that in one week Russians deployed nearly 1,400 strike drones, 1,100 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles. He called for stronger air defenses and “real, reliable solutions” to end the war.
Separately, Ukraine claimed responsibility for damaging an oil terminal near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, part of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium that handles much of Kazakhstan’s oil exports. Kazakhstan urged Ukraine to stop attacking the terminal, saying the incident harmed bilateral relations and calling on Ukraine to prevent similar actions.
Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Elise Morton in London contributed. Photo credit: Terry Renna/AP.
