BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) — U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators on Sunday hailed the talks in Miami, Florida, as “productive and constructive” amid Russian troops’ advances on the eastern front of Ukraine.
Three-day talks on the Ukraine crisis finished on Sunday among the United States, Ukraine, and European representatives in Florida, described by the U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff on the social platform X as “productive and constructive.” Witkoff said the discussions focused on key documents, including the further development of a 20-point plan. “Particular attention was given to discussing timelines and the sequencing of next steps,” he said. “We are working constructively and substantively. We are counting on further progress and practical results,” top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said on the Telegram messenger.
After the talks on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for broader consultations with European partners. “We are moving at a fairly rapid pace, and our team in Florida has been working with the American side,” Zelensky said on the Telegram messenger. In another post on X, Witkoff also praised the result of a separate talk between the United States and Russia. “Over the last two days in Florida, the Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev held productive and constructive meetings with the American delegation to advance President (Donald) Trump’s peace plan on Ukraine,” Witkoff wrote.
While no breakthroughs were announced in the Miami talks, the Russian forces have been advancing steadily on the battlefield. Over the past week, “Russia has launched approximately 1,300 attack drones, nearly 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 9 missiles of various types” against Ukraine, Zelensky said. In the eastern Sumy region, Russian troops have crossed the border with Ukraine and taken 50 people from a local village, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. In recent months, Russian troops have secured a foothold in some of the villages in the Sumy region. Separately, Dmitriev on Sunday hinted at a possible meeting between Russia and the United States in Moscow after talks in Miami.Dmitriev posted a selfie against the backdrop of a Miami sunset on his X account. In the photo, he is wearing a white T-shirt with the Russian coat of arms, under which is written: “Next time in Moscow,” and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s signature
