Ukraine: U.S. and Russian Envoys Hold Meeting in Florida

International - U.S. and Russian envoys Steve Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev said they met in Florida on Saturday for a "constructive" discussion. The meeting is part of the U.S. efforts to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine.

Witkoff wrote on X platform: "We are encouraged by this meeting, which shows that Russia is making efforts for peace in Ukraine." He praised the meeting as "productive."

He specifically noted that members of the U.S. delegation also included U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and son-in-law of former President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner.

Kirill Dmitriev also responded on X platform: "We had a constructive meeting with the U.S. delegation responsible for the peace process. We also had a productive discussion on the U.S.-Russia economic working group." Previously, a source close to the negotiations told AFP that the talks began at 8 a.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. GMT) and Mr. Dmitriev had arrived in Miami.

Neither side revealed the specific content of the talks.

In January, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kirill Dmitriev had already met with U.S. officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Mr. Dmitriev, the Kremlin's special envoy for investment and economic development, also visited Miami at the end of December last year to hold consultations with U.S. representatives on the Ukraine issue.

The new meeting held in Florida comes before the second round of talks between the negotiators of Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine possibly taking place in Abu Dhabi. This meeting is scheduled to take place on Sunday, but President Zelenskyy of Ukraine said this week that it could be postponed due to the ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran. It is reported that the first direct negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. on the plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine were held in the capital of the UAE last Friday and Saturday.

The Kremlin said on Friday that U.S. President Trump had asked Russian President Putin to stop air strikes on Kyiv "until February 1st." Previous air strikes have damaged Kyiv's power grid. According to Russian President's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the suspension of air strikes was aimed at "creating favorable conditions for negotiations."

Talks mediated by the U.S. have been difficult and stalled, especially on territorial issues. Russia demands that Kyiv cede the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

Sources: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1855889517268426/

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