The peace talks in Ukraine in Florida yesterday are the main topic of the Western and Ukrainian press this morning, BTA reported.
US President Donald Trump said there was a “good chance“ of an agreement to end the war after the latest US talks with Kiev, at a time when his special envoy is preparing to leave for follow-up talks with Russia, the British newspaper “Guardian“ wrote this morning.
Hours after the “productive“ discussions in Florida, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that "more work" was needed, and a representative of the Kiev delegation described the negotiations as "not easy".
The discussions in Florida have paved the way for Steve Witkoff's visit to Moscow, where he is expected to discuss the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow, the Guardian noted.
According to the publication “Axios“ yesterday's talks were focused on where the de facto border should be, beyond which Russia should withdraw in a peace agreement.
The Russian president insists that his country will not stop the war until it gains control of the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
The publication specifies that the first hour of the meeting was in an expanded format, and then three representatives from each side remained at the negotiating table: US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner on the American side, as well as National Security Advisor Rustem Umerov, Chief of the Military Staff Gen. Andriy Gnatov and Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence Vadim Skibitsky from the Ukrainian.
After the end of the negotiations, the head of the Ukrainian delegation Rustem Umerov held a bilateral meeting with Witkoff, the publication notes.
„Kiev Independent“ cites a post by Umerov on social networks after the end of the meeting. According to him, Kiev has achieved „significant progress towards achieving a decent peace and in the rapprochement of our positions with the American side“, after „a difficult but productive round of negotiations“.
The publication cites a post by Umerov on social networks, who stated that after the meeting at Witkoff's private club „Hollandale Beach“ in Miami, Kiev has made “significant progress towards achieving a dignified peace and in bringing our positions closer together with the American side“, after “a difficult but productive round of negotiations“.
“Our key goals – security, sovereignty and a reliable peace – remain unchanged and are shared by the American side”, he added.
V. “The New York Times“ draws attention to the absence of Andriy Yermak in the Ukrainian delegation – President Volodymyr Zelensky's right-hand man and chief of staff, who resigned on Friday due to a corruption investigation. Yermak was the lead negotiator during the latest talks with US officials.
Ukrainian officials say the dynamics of the discussions have not fundamentally changed since then, even though Yermak played a central role in them.
Last week, he negotiated a softening of the Trump administration's draft proposal for ending the war, whose 28 points largely reflected Russian demands, the New York Times noted.
Given the pressure on Ukraine on the battlefield and from the White House, the continued involvement of Yermak - whose home was searched by investigators on Friday - was seen by some Ukrainians as a potential distraction in the talks. His resignation helped ease concerns in Ukraine that Russia or the United States could use the $100 million embezzlement scandal as leverage to pressure Kiev into making painful concessions in the talks.
The British newspaper “Independent“ wrote that Zelensky thanked Trump for his efforts to end the war in Ukraine after yesterday's meeting in Florida.
The Ukrainian president said that the head of the delegation had “reported some preliminary results“ and called the talks “productive“.
Trump also expressed optimism, saying that peace talks with Russia “are going well“.
On the other hand, a senior European official warned in an interview with “Politico“ that Donald Trump's attempts to secure peace in Ukraine should not absolve Vladimir Putin of responsibility for war crimes committed by Russian forces, thereby setting a new red line for the agreement.
EU Justice and Democracy Commissioner Michael McGrath said negotiators must ensure that pressure for a ceasefire does not lead to Russia avoiding prosecution.
His remarks reflected widespread concerns in Europe that the initial US plan for a deal included a promise of "full amnesty for actions committed during the war", along with plans to reintegrate Russia into the global economy.
The Trump team is trying to rehabilitate the Kremlin leader despite international condemnation of Russia for alleged crimes, including the abduction of 20,000 Ukrainian children and attacks on civilians in Bucha, Mariupol and elsewhere.
“I don't think history will look kindly on any attempt to forget Russia's crimes in Ukraine,” McGrath said. "They must be held accountable for these crimes and that will be the approach of the European Union in all these discussions. If we do so to allow impunity for these crimes, we will sow the seeds of the next wave of aggression and the next invasion. And I believe that would be a historic mistake of enormous proportions," he added.