Trump team pushes trilateral talks in Miami, Zelenskyy remains sceptical

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said that the United States has proposed a possible framework for peace talks that would bring Ukraine and Russia to the same table, but he expressed scepticism over whether such a meeting would result in any substantive breakthrough, Politico reported.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Washington has suggested a trilateral format involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia. However, he said any joint meeting would make sense only after clarity emerges from talks that have already taken place between Ukraine and its partners.

“They proposed this format as far as I understand: Ukraine, America, Russia,” Zelenskyy said, adding that it would be “logical” to consider such a meeting only after assessing the results of earlier discussions held in Berlin.

The Ukrainian President noted that the proposed trilateral talks would likely be held at the level of national security advisers. Nevertheless, he remained cautious, pointing out that similar formats in the past had yielded limited results.

“I am not sure something new would come of that. We already had such a format of meetings in Istanbul,” Zelenskyy told journalists during a WhatsApp briefing.

Ukrainian and Russian representatives last met face-to-face in Istanbul in July. While those discussions led to prisoner-of-war exchanges, they failed to achieve progress on a comprehensive peace settlement. Zelenskyy described the prisoner swaps as “very important” but acknowledged that no broader agreement was reached.

He added that if a trilateral meeting, possibly in Florida, could help unlock further prisoner exchanges or serve as preparation for a meeting between leaders, Ukraine would support it.

“There are very important and difficult issues that must be decided at the leaders’ level. So how can I be against such a meeting?” Zelenskyy said.

According to the Ukrainian president, Kyiv’s key priorities in any peace talks include the status of Ukrainian territories, firm security guarantees, and the future operation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Zelenskyy said the possibility of trilateral talks would depend on the outcome of ongoing US-Ukrainian negotiations that began on Friday. He added that a European delegation currently in Florida could also join the discussions if the talks move forward.

Meanwhile, negotiators from Russia and the United States met on Saturday in the US city of Miami, even as Zelenskyy urged Washington to increase pressure on Moscow to end the war, Al Jazeera reported.

The meeting involved Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, along with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Dmitriev told reporters that the talks were positive and would continue. “The discussions are proceeding constructively,” he said, adding that talks would resume on Sunday.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he might also join the discussions in Miami. Rubio said progress has been made, but acknowledged that significant differences remain.

“The role we’re trying to play is figuring out whether there’s any overlap they can agree to,” Rubio said. “That may not be possible. I hope it is. I hope it can get done this month, before the end of the year.”

US officials said Trump’s envoys have been working for weeks on a 20-point peace plan in discussions with Ukrainian, Russian and European officials. However, major disagreements remain, particularly over territorial issues and security guarantees, which Kyiv has said are essential for any peace deal. (ANI)