Russia Dismisses Possibility of Trilateral Negotiations with U.S. and Ukraine

On Sunday, the Kremlin refuted claims that discussions were underway regarding three-way negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, as diplomats convened in Miami to seek an end to the ongoing conflict.

The day prior, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that the U.S. had proposed the idea of trilateral talks, which would mark the first in-person discussions between Russian and Ukrainian officials in six months. Nonetheless, Zelensky expressed doubt that such a format would lead to meaningful progress.

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov told reporters, according to Russian news outlets, that «no one has seriously considered this initiative, and as far as I know, no preparations are being made» for it.

Ushakov also noted that he had not seen an updated U.S. proposal aimed at resolving the conflict following previous discussions among American, Ukrainian, and European diplomats.

Kirill Dmitriev, the economic envoy for Vladimir Putin, arrived in Miami on Saturday, where Ukrainian and European delegations had been meeting since Friday for negotiations facilitated by the White House’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Ushakov mentioned that Dmitriev would soon head back to Moscow to update officials on the talks.

The last direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives occurred in July in Istanbul, which resulted in significant prisoner exchanges but little advancement toward ending the full-scale invasion, which is nearing its fourth year.

While the presence of both Russian and European representatives in Miami represents a change from previous rounds of negotiations, the profound mistrust between the conflicting parties raises questions about the potential for direct discussions.

Moscow has contended that European involvement complicates the negotiation process; however, the Kremlin stated on Sunday that Putin is willing to engage in conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron’s office responded by saying that this indication was appreciated.

In a separate update, Zelensky shared on social media that Russia had carried out approximately 1,300 drone strikes, launched nearly 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and fired nine missiles at Ukraine over the past week, with southern regions, particularly Odesa, being «hit especially hard.»