US, Ukraine and Europe hold six-hour talks to speed up peace plan before presenting it to Russia
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Negotiating officials from the United States, Ukraine and Europe held six hours of talks in Miami, Florida, on Friday, October 9, to draft a joint proposal to end the war in Ukraine, aiming to reach an agreement within the coming weeks before presenting it to Russia for consideration, in a bid to make diplomatic progress before winter sets in. The talks were attended by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, representatives of the United States, along with Ukrainian officials, representatives from Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. Key issues discussed included security guarantees that the United States and European countries might give Ukraine after the war ends, an economic recovery plan, and the path toward European Union, or EU, membership. Territorial issues were also discussed, but no details of the proposal under consideration were disclosed, and the negotiating team also discussed the possibility of creating a future security framework between Europe and Russia to promote long-term regional stability. The push for peace talks comes amid differences over the US government's approach to Russia, with US President Donald Trump announcing that Russia had agreed to ship diesel to global markets to help lower fuel prices, while the Trump administration temporarily eased sanctions on Russian fuel exports, a move criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and members of the US Congress. Zelensky warned that revenue from fuel sales would help support Russia's military operations. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, signaled that an immediate return to peace talks was unlikely, citing Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow. The negotiating team is now trying to establish a common position before beginning discussions with Russia on an agreement to end the war.