Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, stated that the ceasefire negotiations with the United States held in Florida were constructive, but emphasized the need for further consultations with European allies.
According to Bloomberg and other sources on December 21 (local time), President Zelensky wrote on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "We are moving at a fairly rapid pace, and our (negotiation) team in Florida is cooperating with the U.S. side." He added, "European representatives have also been invited. These negotiations are constructive, and this is of significant importance."
However, he did not mention the specific details of the discussions.
Previously, on December 19, the Ukrainian negotiating team led by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, met in Miami, Florida, with Steve Witkoff, special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Jared Kushner, Trump's eldest son-in-law.
Additionally, President Zelensky said he spoke with Jonas Gahr Store, Prime Minister of Norway, following the negotiations between the United States and Ukraine. He conveyed that there is a consensus on the need to conduct broader consultations with European partners after the meeting with the United States. He added that while much depends on whether Russia truly feels the need to end the war, Russia is only sending negative signals on this issue.
President Zelensky criticized Russia for continuing attacks on the front lines, war crimes in border areas, and airstrikes targeting Ukrainian infrastructure. He pointed out that last week alone, Russia used 1,300 drones, 1,200 glide bombs, and 9 missiles to attack Ukraine.
On the U.S. side, following the negotiations with Ukraine, a Russian delegation led by Kirill Dmitriev, special envoy of President Vladimir Putin, met with the U.S. on December 20, accelerating mediation efforts for a ceasefire. During the meeting on December 20, it appears that the U.S. shared with Russia the discussions held among the U.S., European, and Ukrainian negotiating teams in Berlin, Germany, on December 14-15. Special envoy Dmitriev stated that talks with the U.S. are "progressing constructively" and that meetings between the two sides would continue on December 21 as well.
Meanwhile, Rustem Umerov, who leads the Ukrainian negotiating delegation, announced that on December 21, he would meet again with the U.S. delegation to further discuss the ceasefire proposal. On his social media, he wrote, "This is the third day of work in the United States, and we are scheduled to meet the U.S. side once again." He added, "We are cooperating constructively and substantively. We expect further progress and concrete results."
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