Leading negotiators from the United States and Ukraine said Friday they had held constructive discussions to end the war in Ukraine, but the path to peace rested with Russia.
“Real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia's willingness to demonstrate a serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps to de-escalate and stop the killing,” US Special Representative Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner said in a joint statement with Ukrainian negotiators.
During the meeting, both sides “agreed on the framework of security measures” and discussed containment issues.
Talks in Moscow on Tuesday failed to produce a compromise on a possible peace deal in the coming four-year war.
The two-day meeting between Vitkov and Kushner with Ukrainian National Security Minister Rustem Umerov and Brigadier General Andrei Gnatov was the sixth round of negotiations in two weeks. They meet again in Florida on Saturday.
In a statement, the four said Ukraine's priority is “to secure a settlement that protects its independence and sovereignty, ensures the security of Ukrainians and provides a stable foundation for a prosperous democratic future.”
They also discussed the US meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, as well as Ukraine's post-war future, which includes rebuilding the devastated country and economic initiatives with the US.
Achieving a ceasefire and de-escalating tensions is necessary to “prevent a return to aggression and ensure the implementation of a comprehensive recovery plan for Ukraine designed to leave the country stronger and more prosperous than before the war,” they said.
At least two main points of disagreement remain between Moscow and Kiev – the fate of Ukrainian territory captured by Russian troops and security guarantees for Ukraine.
Witkoff spent nearly five hours with Putin in Moscow on Tuesday in talks that the Kremlin said did not lead to “any compromise” on ending the war. Kushner, a businessman and real estate investor who advised Trump during his first term, also attended the event.
Trump said the talks were “pretty good” but it was too early to tell what would happen.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “the world clearly feels that there is a real opportunity to end the war” but negotiations must be “backed by pressure on Russia.”
