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UKRAINE has held a fresh round of talks with the United States and European partners aimed at ending the war with Russia, with all sides agreeing to continue coordinated efforts in the near future, Ukraine’s top negotiator said on Friday.
Rustem Umerov said discussions took place in the United States and resulted in agreement with Washington on the next steps in the diplomatic process.
“We agreed with our American partners on further steps and on continuing our joint work in the near future,” Reuters cuted Umerov writing on Telegram.
He added that he had briefed President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the outcome of the talks.
The renewed diplomacy comes as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to bring an end to nearly four years of war in Ukraine.
Earlier this week, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held discussions in Berlin with Ukrainian and European officials.
Umerov said Kyiv’s priority remained securing durable security guarantees.
“We are constructively minded. We have already held preliminary consultations with our European colleagues and are preparing for further discussions with the American side,” he said. “… Ukraine’s security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term.”
Zelenskiy said Ukraine and the United States had agreed on several documents during the talks, including a 20-point peace framework, proposed security guarantees and a plan for Ukraine’s reconstruction. However, he stressed that no unified final proposal had been reached, noting that territorial issues remained unresolved.
Russia showed little sign of flexibility on Friday, with President Vladimir Putin offering no compromise on his conditions for ending the war and saying responsibility now lay with Ukraine and Europe to make the next move.
A White House official said Witkoff and Kushner are also expected to meet a Russian delegation in Miami this weekend as part of parallel diplomatic efforts.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that he may join part of the Ukraine-related talks on Saturday. While acknowledging progress, he cautioned that significant challenges remain.
“In the end, it's up to them to make a deal. We can't force Ukraine to make a deal. We can't force Russia to make a deal. They have to want to make a deal,” Rubio said.
“The role we're trying to play is a role of figuring out whether there's any overlap here that they can agree to, and that's what we've invested a lot of time and energy and continue to do so. That may not be possible. I hope it is. I hope it can get done this month before the end of the year.”- December 20, 2025