Breakthrough in Florida? Witkoff: Talks with Russia were constructive

US envoy Steve Witkoff said that talks were held in Miami on Saturday with Russian representative Kirill Dmitriev as part of US mediations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. He assessed that they were “productive and constructive”.

“We are encouraged by this meeting, which shows that Russia is striving to achieve peace in Ukraine,” Witkoff wrote on the X website.

He added that the American delegation also included US Finance Minister Scott Bessent, President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House adviser Josh Gruenbaum.

On Friday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the next meeting of the delegations of Ukraine, the United States and Russia – according to preliminary plans – is to be held on Sunday, February 1, in Abu Dhabi, but its date and place may change. As reported by the Interfax-Ukraine agency, Zelensky explained that the possible change is related to the fact that “something is happening in the situation between America and Iran” and these issues may affect the date of the meeting.

The first round of trilateral Ukrainian-Russian-American peace negotiations took place in Abu Dhabi a week earlier, on January 23 and 24. Trump told reporters on Friday that he believed an agreement between Ukraine and Russia was getting closer, but did not say why he thought so.

Ukraine: We expect specifics and decisions from the US

Ukraine expects specific decisions from the US regarding the peace talks conducted by Kiev, Washington and Moscow, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, who had previously suspected that the date of the meeting planned for Sunday might change.

“We remain in constant contact with the American side and expect specifics from them regarding subsequent meetings. Ukraine is ready to work in all working formats. It is important that there are results and that the meetings take place. We are counting on meetings next week and are preparing for them,” he said in his daily evening speech, published on social media.

On Friday, Zelensky announced that the next meeting of the delegations of Ukraine, the United States and Russia is tentatively to be held on Sunday, February 1, in Abu Dhabi, but – as he noted – its date and place may change.

“I don't know when the next meeting will take place. It was supposed to be on Sunday. It was agreed that the meeting will be held in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). And it is very important for us that everyone we agreed with is at the meeting, because everyone expects feedback. But the date or place may be changed,” Zelensky said during a conversation with journalists.

The Interfax-Ukraine agency wrote then that Zelensky explained that a possible change in the date and place of these talks is related to the fact that “something is happening in the situation between America and Iran” and these issues may affect the date of the meeting.

From Kiev Jarosław Junko (PAP)

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