End of the war/ US and Ukraine demand "progress" from Russia in talks

2025-12-06 15:43:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

U.S. and Ukrainian officials will meet in Miami, U.S., for a third day on Saturday to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine. However, they have unanimously acknowledged that “real progress” depends on Moscow’s willingness to end the conflict.

"Both sides agreed that real progress toward reaching any agreement depends on Russia's willingness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and a cessation of hostilities ," a summary released by US authorities on December 5 said.

These calls were made by the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Rustem Umerov, leader of the Ukrainian delegation in the negotiations, after two days of discussions, which were described as "constructive".

The third day of discussions - which will also include Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, and Andriy Hnatov, chief of staff of Kiev's armed forces - comes after Ukraine's negotiating team was briefed on discussions that took place earlier this week in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Witkoff and Kushner.

Putin's approach

The US special envoy is reported to have spoken with Putin for nearly five hours on December 2 in the Kremlin, but Russian officials have said no compromise was reached in the talks.

This wave of diplomatic engagement follows the leak in November of a 28-point US plan for how to end the war. The original proposal was seen in Kiev as highly favorable to Russia, although it has since been updated several times to include Ukraine's concerns.

The latest updated version has not been shared with the public. After the talks in Russia, Putin said he was ready to continue meeting with the Americans "as often as necessary."

In another statement made this week, the Russian president told an Indian media outlet on December 5, while on a trip to New Delhi, that Ukrainian troops must completely withdraw from the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine this week, or Russia "will liberate these territories by force."

Ukraine and its allies in Europe have questioned the Kremlin's commitment to ending the war, and recent statements by American officials seem to have shifted the emphasis to Russia's willingness to compromise.

Many aspects remain unclear, including security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement, or whether there are territorial concessions.

Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including regions in Donbas, which consists of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. /REL