War in Ukraine: France, United Kingdom, Germany, EU and NATO invited to discussions in Miami

The United States has invited the national security advisers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as representatives of the European Union and NATO, to discussions with Ukraine in Miami, Florida, American officials told AFP. Volodymyr Zelensky was the first to announce the US-Ukrainian talks, which will be held on Friday and Saturday, before Washington announced this expanded format.

“The Ukrainian delegation is scheduled to meet Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in the United States tomorrow. (...) The meeting should last two days,” the Ukrainian president told journalists, saying he was “also counting on the participation of a European team.” The Ukrainian team will be made up of Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Kyrylo Boudanov, former Defense Minister Roustem Oumerov and two other senior officials, Serguiï Kyslytsia and Davyd Arakhamia.

Skip the ad

In addition to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of the American president acting as unofficial mediator, and special envoy Steve Witkoff, representatives of the National Security Council and the American Department of Finance will participate. U.S. mediation efforts had stalled since the Middle East war began in February but have resumed in recent weeks.

“New ideas”

The talks will focus on “new ideas” put forward by the United States to end the conflict with Russia, in particular “proposed security guarantees for Ukraine” and “a post-war prosperity plan,” the American sources said. Washington judges that concerns about the arrival of winter and energy supplies are encouraging the resumption of discussions.

“Europeans have expressed concerns to the United States about high energy costs and other major financial repercussions of the war in Ukraine. They are all nervous about the arrival of winter,” said a senior American official interviewed by AFP. “The winter will be harsh if the war does not stop. The United States is therefore trying to mediate with the aim of arriving at a unified proposal,” he added.

Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Moscow and kyiv in September but direct talks between Russians and Ukrainians have still not restarted. In this regard, the head of American diplomacy Marco Rubio on Thursday judged the current “impasse” in the conflict “very dangerous”.

30 people killed Thursday in Kramatorsk

“One of the camps, or both, will intensify what they are doing to try to break the opponent,” he estimated Thursday. After an unsuccessful “40-day” strike campaign intended to capsize the Russian economy, Ukraine and its European allies are now pleading for a ceasefire in the energy sector and at sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected such an idea last week.

Skip the ad

At least 30 people were killed Thursday in a Russian strike that hit two buses in Kramatorsk, a key city on the front in eastern Ukraine, one of the deadliest attacks in recent weeks to which kyiv promised a “response”. Asked about this attack by AFP, a senior American official did not comment directly, and repeated a comment already made on other occasions, declaring: “The president (Trump) wants this war to stop so that the senseless massacres end.”