Media: US officials optimistic that Ukraine may compromise territories

U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators held a second day of discussions on December 5 in Miami, focusing on a peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump, according to officials from both countries.

Talks are expected to continue through December 6, Axios writes.

The negotiations come amid ongoing tensions between Kyiv and Moscow, with public positions on key issues, particularly territorial disputes, appearing far apart.

U.S. officials, however, remain cautiously optimistic that compromise could be possible even on the most sensitive matters.

The Miami talks follow a five-hour meeting earlier this week in Moscow between Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump described the meeting as “very good,” noting that his envoys returned with the impression that Putin is open to reaching a deal.

Details of the Moscow discussions have not been publicly disclosed, and neither the Kremlin nor Washington offered immediate updates.

The Ukrainian delegation in Miami is led by chief negotiator and national security adviser Rustem Umerov and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Andrii Hnatov. On December 4, they held a two-hour session with Witkoff and Kushner, which resumed on the morning of December 5. 

According to sources, the U.S. envoys briefed their Ukrainian counterparts on the Moscow meeting and presented new ideas aimed at narrowing the gaps between the parties.

A U.S. official described discussions as “positive,” though no formal breakthroughs have been reported.

By Aghakazim Guliyev