Ukraine sends top negotiator to Miami for discussions
Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, has arrived in Miami for meetings with U.S. officials, as peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine have stalled in recent months.
Umerov is tasked with discussing a possible prisoner-of-war swap and stepping up diplomatic efforts to end the war, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
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Kyiv hoped U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would travel to Ukraine earlier this spring, but the visit never happened. Washington's focus has largely moved away from Ukraine amid the war in Iran.
The U.S.-brokered talks are deadlocked over Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Moscow demands Kyiv pull troops back from parts of the region it has failed to capture in its four-year full-scale invasion. Ukraine says it will not cede land that it controls.
"We are in constant communication with the American side and know about the relevant contacts of our partners with the Russian side. We are working to ensure that this helps bring a dignified peace closer and guarantee security," Zelenskiy said.
He added that Umerov received "several specific security-related instructions" regarding bilateral cooperation with the U.S.
The last round of trilateral Ukraine-Russia talks involving U.S. representatives took place in February. Ukrainian and Russian representatives have only had separate talks with the U.S. team since.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a call on April 29 discussing a potential ceasefire.
Russia announced a ceasefire for May 8 to 9, when it celebrates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany and holds a military parade in Moscow, an event of high significance for the Kremlin.
Ukraine said Russia only wanted a ceasefire to protect its parade, as it worries about Ukrainian drone attacks, and offered an open-ended ceasefire starting on May 6.
Neither side agreed to the proposals. Russia threatened to strike central Kyiv if Ukraine attacked Moscow. Kyiv accused Russia of violating the ceasefire, saying it would mirror Russia's actions.
By Ulviyya Salmanli
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