Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a “substansive phone call” with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner after they met with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida on Saturday for a third day of peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian delegation includes Andrii Hnatov, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces; Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister; and Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s security council, Zelenskyy previously has said.
“We covered many aspects and went through key points that could ensure an end to the bloodshed and eliminate the threat of a new Russian full scale invasion,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, “as well as the risk of Russia failing to honour its promises, as has happened repeatedly in the past”.
The Ukrainian leader added that his country would continue to cooperate “in good faith” with the US in an effort to reach genuine peace, and said he agreed on the “next steps and the format” of talks with the US team.
Following Friday’s talks, diplomats from both sides said that “real progress toward any agreement” would depend on “Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace”.
The United States has gone back and forth with talks between Ukraine and Russia, trying to broker a peace deal. However, Kyiv aned its European allies have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of faking interest in peace efforts, after its previous talks with the US last week resulted in little breakthrough or compromise.
On Monday, Zelenskyy is expected to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in London.
Macron, who spoke with Zelenskyy on Saturday, accused Russia of escalation and not seeking peace, as he renewed support for Kyiv.
“This is the very purpose of the efforts we have undertaken within the Coalition of the Willing,” Macron wrote on X, “We will continue these efforts with the Americans to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, without which no robust and lasting peace will be possible”.