Politico: High-Level Talks in Miami
Differences Remain Over Territorial Division
Ukraine May Accept EU Membership
The U.S. and Russian delegations are expected to meet this weekend in Miami, Florida, to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine (left), and Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy, are having a conversation at the Chancellor's Office in Berlin, Germany, on the 15th (local time). Photo by AP Yonhap News
According to multiple sources cited by U.S. political media outlet Politico on the 17th (local time), the U.S. delegation plans to meet with the Russian delegation this weekend to convey the results of recent discussions held with Ukraine and Europe.
As Russia and Ukraine continue to disagree over issues such as territorial division, attention is focused on whether Russia will present a more flexible stance compared to its previous demands during this meeting.
The U.S. delegation is reported to include Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy of President Donald Trump, and Jared Kushner, President Trump's eldest son-in-law, while the Russian delegation will be led by Kirill Dmitriev, Special Envoy of President Vladimir Putin.
The U.S. delegation previously met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin, Germany, on December 14 and 15, to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.
At that meeting, the U.S. proposed providing Ukraine with mutual defense guarantees similar to those of NATO member states. In response, Ukraine indicated that it might be willing to forgo its demand for NATO membership.
Russia has strongly opposed Ukraine's accession to NATO and has demanded a reduction in the size of the Ukrainian military as a condition for ending the war.
According to Politico, officials from the Trump administration believe that Russia may ultimately accept Western security guarantees for Ukraine and Ukraine's accession to the European Union (EU) during the final stages of negotiations.
However, there are also views that it remains uncertain whether this meeting will lead to significant progress in ending the war, as Russia has shown no willingness to make concessions regarding the regions it currently occupies, including the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, Crimea, and the Black Sea coastal areas in southeastern Ukraine.
According to the Associated Press, President Vladimir Putin has indicated that if peace negotiations break down, Russia will not be satisfied with only the Ukrainian territories it currently occupies and may expand its occupied areas through military force. In his annual meeting with senior officials at the Ministry of Defense that day, he reaffirmed his hardline stance, stating, "We seek to resolve the root causes of the conflict through diplomacy, but if the other side and their foreign backers refuse substantive negotiations, Russia will liberate its historical territories by military means."
Separately from this delegation meeting, the U.S. plans to convene military officials from countries supporting Ukraine to further coordinate details regarding Ukraine's security and territorial issues.
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