Russian Diplomat Kirill Dmitriev Heads to Miami for Ukraine Peace Talks

Russian representative Kirill Dmitriev announced on Saturday that he was en route to Miami for another round of discussions aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

Teams from Ukraine and Europe were also present in the southern U.S. city for the negotiations, which were being facilitated by Donald Trump’s representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.

Trump’s envoys have been advocating for a proposal in which the United States would provide security assurances to Ukraine, while Kyiv might be expected to concede some territorial claims—a suggestion that many Ukrainians find unacceptable.

Nonetheless, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured on Friday that Ukraine would not be pressured into any agreement, stating, «there’s no peace deal unless Ukraine consents.» He also mentioned that he might participate in the discussions on Saturday in Miami, his place of origin.

“On my way to Miami,” Dmitriev stated in a post on X, including a peace dove emoji and sharing a brief video of the morning sun illuminating a beach with palm trees.

“As those who profit from war work diligently to derail the U.S. peace initiative for Ukraine, I recalled this video from a previous visit — light breaking through the storm clouds,” he remarked.

The inclusion of Russian and European participants in the negotiations signifies progress from an earlier phase, during which the Americans conducted separate talks with each group in different venues.

However, it is improbable that Dmitriev will engage in direct discussions with Ukrainian and European negotiators, given the significant tension between the parties.

Since launching its military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has maintained that European participation in the negotiations would complicate the process and has often characterized the continent’s leaders as pro-war.

These discussions come on the heels of President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to continue with the military campaign in Ukraine, celebrating Moscow’s battlefield achievements nearly four years into the conflict during an annual press conference on Friday.

On Saturday, Russia reported the capture of two villages in the Sumy and Donetsk regions of Ukraine, continuing its offensive in the eastern part of the country amid intense and costly skirmishes.

Meanwhile, the toll from a nighttime Russian ballistic missile attack on port facilities in Ukraine’s Odesa region has risen to eight fatalities, with nearly thirty individuals injured in the incident.

At the same time, Ukraine announced that it had downed two Russian fighter jets at an airbase in the occupied Crimea, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

Putin initiated a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, labeling it a “special military operation” aimed at demilitarizing the country and curtailing NATO’s expansion.

Kyiv, alongside its European partners, claims that the conflict—the largest and deadliest on European soil since World War II—is an unprovoked, illegal attempt at annexation that has unleashed widespread violence and destruction.