Zelenskiy says he held substantive call with Trump envoys, maps next steps
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he has held a lengthy, substantive phone call with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, following two days of meetings in Miami described as constructive. The exchanges are part of a U.S. brokered push to outline next steps and formats for talks that Kyiv hopes can lead to a credible pathway toward a durable peace.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he has held a lengthy and substantive phone call with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, a development Kyiv framed on Saturday as part of an active diplomatic effort to advance negotiations on ending the war. The conversation followed two days of meetings in Miami between the U.S. envoys and Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, which participants described as constructive.
Zelenskiy said both sides agreed next steps and formats for talks and that he was awaiting an in person debrief from Umerov in Kyiv. The Ukrainian president’s public account underscores Kyiv’s desire to maintain tight control of the negotiating process even as third party actors press to shape a sequence of talks that could lead to a ceasefire, security guarantees and political arrangements acceptable to Ukraine’s partners.
The meetings in Miami mark a striking moment in a U.S. brokered diplomatic push that has drawn unusual figures into the peacemaking effort. Jared Kushner’s involvement has been especially controversial because of his past role in the U.S. administration and the sensitivities surrounding private diplomacy. Steve Witkoff’s role as a special envoy reflects Washington’s willingness to use unconventional channels to try to secure traction toward a settlement that would halt the fighting while protecting Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Umerov’s return to Kyiv to brief Zelenskiy illustrates how Ukrainian leadership is trying to balance external pressure for rapid progress with domestic political constraints and the demands of the battlefield. Any agreement on formats for talks will need to bridge divergent expectations among Ukraine’s Western backers, who are sensitive to issues of international law, territorial integrity and the precedent any settlement might set for states facing aggression.
The U.S. brokered exchanges come as Western capitals weigh how to support Kyiv while avoiding premature political concessions that could cement gains seized by Russia since 2022. Diplomacy aimed at a durable peace must address complex legal and security questions including borders, demilitarized zones, accountability for war crimes and mechanisms for verification and enforcement. For Kyiv, assurances that protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity will be non negotiable.
Moscow has not publicly embraced the Miami process and will be a decisive stakeholder if talks are to move beyond preliminary formats. The lack of an explicit Russian presence in these recent exchanges highlights the difficulty of translating third party mediation into direct negotiations that both sides accept.
For now, Kyiv presents the Miami meetings and the follow up phone call as constructive progress, while keeping substantive details close to the vest. The immediate practical outcome is a pledge to pursue agreed next steps and to reconvene in formats that Umerov and his team can implement. Whether that will produce a durable cessation of hostilities and a lasting settlement remains uncertain, and will hinge on further engagement from Washington, Moscow and Kyiv, as well as the international community’s willingness to underpin any deal with robust legal and security guarantees.
