Behind the scenes of the “intense” US-Ukraine negotiations in Miami: a major topic dominated the negotiations / “The main question now is what is the position of the Russians and whether their intentions are real”

“It was intense, but not negative. Our position is that we must do everything possible to help the US succeed in the negotiations, without losing our country and without allowing another aggression,” a Ukrainian official told the American website Axios, referring to the negotiations held on Sunday.

Sunday's talks between the US and Ukraine had one major goal: establishing the de facto border line in a peace deal, two Ukrainian officials told Axios.

They said the five-hour meeting was “difficult” and “intense” but productive.

“Productive” was also the term used publicly on Sunday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who participated in the negotiations with the Ukrainians. Rubio also admitted that there are still “a lot of things to do.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin — who is due to meet with President Trump's emissary on Tuesday — insisted that Russia will not stop until it controls the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and called on Kiev to withdraw its troops from there.

The US wants Ukraine to cede the territory, seeing it as a step towards peace, but observers have pointed out that this would be a painful and politically and strategically complicated concession for Kiev.

“It was intense, but not negative”

The US delegation arrived at Sunday's meeting at US envoy Steve Witkoff's exclusive Shell Bay golf club near Miami hoping to make progress on the territorial issue, which Witkoff could then present to Putin at the meeting in Moscow.

After an hour in a broader format, the meeting narrowed to three officials from each side — the line of territorial control being virtually the only issue discussed, according to the two Ukrainian officials.

On the US side, Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner attended.

The Ukrainian side was represented by National Security Adviser Rustem Umerov, Army Chief of Staff General Andrii Hnatov, and Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence Vadim Skibitskîi.

After the talks with their teams were over, Umerov had another one-on-one meeting with Witkoff.

Umerov then called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to inform him of the talks.

“It was intense, but not negative. We very much appreciate the serious commitment of the US. Our position is that we must do everything possible to help the US succeed without losing our country and without allowing another aggression,” one of the Ukrainian officials told Axios after the meeting.

What's next

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wanted to talk directly with Trump about the territory, but Trump said he would only meet with Zelensky or Putin again after an agreement was reached.

At the end of the meeting, both sides expressed optimism.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back from Florida to Washington on Sunday that he had been briefed on the outcome of the negotiations and that he believed “there's a good chance we'll get a deal.”

A senior US official said Sunday's talks were “positive”.

“We have made significant progress in promoting a just peace and bringing our positions closer to those of the American side. Our key goals – security, sovereignty and lasting peace – remain unchanged and are shared by the American side,” Umerov also wrote on Telegram after the talks.

Umerov was due to meet with Zelensky in Paris on Monday to give him a more detailed report on the negotiations, Ukrainian officials said.

Witkoff also plans to go to Moscow on Monday and meet with Putin on Tuesday.

“The main question is what is the position of the Russians and whether their intentions are real. Let's see what Witkoff will bring from Moscow,” said a Ukrainian official.

Putin's claim

President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a draft peace plan discussed by the United States and Ukraine could become the basis of future agreements to end the conflict in Ukraine, but that if it does not materialize, Russia will continue to fight.

Putin also issued a key claim to Ukraine.

“Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the territories they control, and then the fighting will stop. If they don't leave, then we will achieve this by armed means,” Putin said.

He stated that Russian forces are advancing into Ukraine at a faster pace.

Putin later specified that Donbas and Crimea should be the key topic of Russia-US talks.

In 2022, Russia announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson – which it does not fully control even now.

An initial version of the US plan called for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the fortified areas they still control in Donetsk, a condition that Kiev has repeatedly rejected.

This provision was removed from the revised plan following the American-Ukrainian negotiations in Geneva.