U.S. and Ukrainian officials held roughly four hours of talks in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Sunday to press toward an endgame in the war with Russia. Sen. Marco Rubio called the meeting productive but cautioned that significant work remains to reach a durable peace.
“It’s not just about the terms that end fighting,” Rubio said, adding that any agreement must also position Ukraine for long-term prosperity. “I think we built on that today, but there’s more work to be done.”
The U.S. delegation included Rubio, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s security council, led the Ukrainian side; other members included Andrii Hnatov, head of the armed forces, and presidential adviser Oleksandr Bevz. The meeting took place at the Shell Bay Club in Hallandale Beach.
Officials focused on revisions to a U.S.-authored framework that has been criticized for appearing to favor Russian demands. Rubio stressed that any settlement must preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and prospects for prosperity. Ukrainian delegates said Washington was “hearing us” and working alongside Kyiv, though they offered few specifics about concrete concessions or changes.
The talks come days before Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a session Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said would occur before Putin departs for India. Witkoff and Kushner, both with business backgrounds and involved in a separate Gaza ceasefire proposal, have promoted dealmaking as an alternative to traditional diplomacy.
The U.S.-brokered framework, described by Trump as a “concept” to be “fine-tuned,” has reportedly included contentious elements such as limits on the size of Ukraine’s military, a bar on NATO membership, elections within 100 days and initial proposals concerning the Donbas region. Negotiators say the draft has been changing, but many details remain unclear.
Domestically, Ukraine has been shaken by a corruption scandal that prompted the resignation of presidential chief of staff and chief negotiator Andrii Yermak after an anti-corruption search of his home. Investigators have reported roughly $100 million siphoned from the energy sector via contractor kickbacks.
Diplomatic momentum did not halt fighting. Russian drone and missile strikes around Kyiv killed at least three people and wounded dozens; a drone strike on a nine-story apartment block in Vyshhorod killed one and injured 19, including children. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has recently deployed waves of strike drones, guided bombs and missiles and called for stronger air defenses and “real, reliable solutions” to end the war.
Separately, Ukraine said it damaged an oil terminal near Novorossiysk that is part of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. Kazakhstan protested, warning the attack harmed bilateral ties and urging Kyiv to prevent further incidents.
Zelenskyy said his delegation would quickly work out concrete steps to end the war and praised the U.S. approach as constructive. U.S. and Ukrainian officials said talks will continue as Washington prepares to press its plan with Moscow while seeking assurances that any agreement safeguards Ukraine’s sovereignty and future prosperity.