Russia says talks on U.S. peace plan for Ukraine proceed constructively as Florida discussions continue
Kremlin envoy says Florida talks are constructive and moving quickly, as Kyiv and Moscow press demands; EU pledges about 90 billion euros for Ukraine amid ongoing diplomacy and battlefield changes.
Russia said talks in Florida on a U.S.-backed peace plan for Ukraine are proceeding constructively, despite renewed Russian strikes in other parts of the country. Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev told reporters in Miami that the discussions began earlier and would continue today and tomorrow as part of Washington's months-long push to end the war.
Dmitriev said he met with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, and that the discussions were being held with U.S. officials in Florida. He noted the talks followed meetings in Berlin earlier in the week with Ukrainian and European partners, according to Russian state media.
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that diplomatic efforts were moving 'quite quickly' and that Ukraine's Florida team had been working with the American side. Ukraine's chief negotiator said Friday that his delegation had completed separate meetings in the United States with American and European partners.
Trump has pressed for a peace framework as part of a broad diplomatic push, while Moscow and Kyiv maintain sharply different demands. Putin has signaled confidence that Russia will reach its goals if Kyiv does not concede, even as Russian forces continue to press on the battlefield with heavy losses.
The French presidency welcomed Putin's willingness to speak with President Emmanuel Macron and said any dialogue would be evaluated in the coming days to contribute to a solid and lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe, in full transparency with Zelenskyy and European partners.
European Union leaders on Friday agreed to provide about 90 billion euros ($106 billion) to Ukraine over the next two years to cover military and economic needs, to be borrowed from capital markets after differences over using frozen Russian assets prevented an immediate intergovernmental mechanism.
In Ukraine, the human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, accused Russian forces of forcibly removing about 50 Ukrainian civilians from the Sumy border region to Russian territory. He said residents in the village of Hrabovske were detained on Thursday before being moved to Russia on Saturday, and he asked Russia's human rights commissioner for information on their whereabouts and conditions and demanded their immediate return.
Observers say the Florida talks are a high-profile facet of the Trump administration's broader diplomatic push to secure a peace framework for Ukraine. With Moscow insisting on its terms and Kyiv seeking concessions, the path toward a final settlement remains uncertain, even as negotiations continue in Florida and with European partners.
