US and Ukraine negotiators meet in Florida and seek to revive stalled talks

Palm Beach, Florida - US and Ukrainian negotiators met in the US on Saturday in a bid to revive stalled talks on ending the four-year Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff (r.) and Jared Kushner represented Washington in the latest talks.  © Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP

US-led efforts to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II have stalled since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran in February, prompting Tehran to retaliate and turmoil to erupt across the Middle East.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators last met in Geneva in February and have not met since.

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"Our team is in America right now. There was already a meeting today," Zelensky said in his evening address, without elaborating.

"The teams will continue their discussions tomorrow as well. The most important thing is to understand to what extent the Russian side is ready to move toward a genuine end to the war," Zelensky added.

Saturday's talks were held in Florida, according to Ukrainian media.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner represented the US side, while Ukrainian security council secretary Rustem Umerov and Zelensky's top aide Kyrylo Budanov represented the Ukrainian side, Ukrainian media reported.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has since occupied large swathes of the east and south of the country while raining missiles and drones on its neighbor in daily attacks.

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The war has forced millions to flee their homes and led to tens of thousands of military and civilian casualties.

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