Putin's Envoy En Route to Miami for Dialogue as Zelensky Confirms Rejection of Shared Land and Resources

SadaNews - A Russian envoy is set to join talks on Ukraine hosted in Miami, while the Ukrainian president stated he aims to reach a peace deal and is not prepared to share land and resources with Moscow.

A Russian source revealed that Kirill Dmitriev, the special envoy for President Vladimir Putin, will travel to Miami today for a meeting with American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Zelensky disclosed that Washington proposed a Ukraine-Russia-U.S. meeting in Miami. However, he emphasized that there is currently no peace agreement in place.

Zelensky stated that Ukraine is working with the U.S. to achieve a stable peace agreement, not a deal regarding the division of land and resources.

New Format

This comes after the U.S. offered a potential new format for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, involving American and possibly European envoys.

The Ukrainian president clarified that Kyiv will announce its stance on this format once it becomes clear whether the outcomes of yesterday's resumed bilateral discussions with the American negotiators are positive.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Zelensky did not elaborate on the proposed format from the Trump administration.

The last formal direct meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations was in July in Istanbul, resulting in prisoner exchanges but no substantial progress in negotiations.

For his part, the head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation, Rustem Umerov, stated that they concluded their meetings in the U.S. with American and European partners, and he briefed Zelensky on the outcomes of these meetings.

He added that the delegation agreed with the American side to take additional steps and continue joint work in the near future, without providing further details on the nature of these steps.

Ridiculous Narrative

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified on Friday, with the onset of the new round of talks, that no agreement will be imposed on Ukraine.

He stated in a press conference in Washington, "This entire narrative that we are trying to impose something on Ukraine is ridiculous. We cannot force Ukraine to enter into an agreement, nor can we force Russia to enter into an agreement. Both must desire to reach an agreement."

In recent weeks, following the publication of the Trump administration's plan, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict—which will enter its fifth year in February—have accelerated, but have not resulted in a ceasefire.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin hinted that his forces might halt strikes on Ukraine to allow the country to conduct presidential elections.

However, Zelensky rejected this offer, stating, "It is not Putin who decides when and in what format elections will take place in Ukraine," also affirming his rejection of conducting any voting in areas occupied by Russia.

He stressed that no elections can be conducted in regions occupied by Russia, and that voting can only occur with security guarantees, confirming he discussed the matter with the Americans.

Source: Agencies