POLITICO: US officials engage with Ukraine delegation ahead of Russia talks

Ahead of upcoming talks with Russia, US special envoy Steven Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are set to meet with Ukraine's national security adviser, Rustem Umerov.

Plans for the meetings remain fluid, POLITICO reports, citing sources.

According to two people familiar with the matter, US and Russian officials are expected to meet in Miami this weekend as part of the Trump administration’s effort to end nearly four years of war between Kyiv and Moscow.

As President Donald Trump’s push to halt the fighting has struggled, the US has increased pressure on Ukraine to make concessions that could bring the conflict to a close. Plans for the meetings remain fluid, but if they proceed, the administration will present the outcome of the latest discussions to Russian officials, who have shown little movement on their demands.

The Russian delegation is expected to include Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, according to one of the sources. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. The US side is expected to be represented by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Earlier this week, Witkoff and Kushner held marathon talks in Berlin with Ukrainian and European officials to negotiate US security guarantees for Kyiv, territorial concessions, and other key issues, as Washington continued pressing Ukraine to end the war. The US offered a mutual defence pledge similar to its commitment to NATO members, while Ukraine stepped back from its demand to join the trans-Atlantic alliance immediately.

Trump administration officials expect Russia to accept Western security guarantees and Ukraine’s EU membership in a final deal. 

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, on December 17, showed no signs of softening his stance on reducing Ukraine’s sovereignty almost entirely.

By Jeyhun Aghazada