American, Ukrainian and European officials have met in Miami to discuss a proposal for ending the war in Ukraine. But on the same day Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump that an early return to negotiations was unlikely, and a new US-Russia fuel deal angered Kyiv.
United States, Ukrainian and European officials met in Miami, Florida, on Friday, October 9, to discuss a proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war, Al Jazeera reported, citing news agencies.
What Was Discussed
US envoy Steve Witkoff said the “constructive discussions” covered “potential avenues to de-escalate and conclude the war with Russia ahead of winter”.
He said the meeting included Ukraine, NATO, the European Commission and the “E3”, the name commonly used for Britain, France and Germany. The agenda included:
- energy resilience
- grain exports
- security guarantees
- Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, including accession to the European Union
Putin’s Message to Trump
Earlier the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump by phone that an immediate resumption of peace talks with Ukraine was unlikely.
He cited drone attacks on Moscow during Russia’s parliamentary elections last month.
By launching those attacks, “the Kyiv regime has, in reality, interrupted the possibility of an immediate resumption of the negotiation process,” said Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. “We will now assess when these negotiations can resume.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said earlier in the week that Ukraine was ready for three-way talks with the United States and Russia this month.
‘Stalemate’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the conflict had reached a dangerous “stalemate”.
“The other way that stalemates end is through escalation,” he said, warning that the war could spread to neighbouring NATO countries.
The Diesel Deal
The talks were overshadowed by an announcement from Trump, made after his call with Putin, that Russia had agreed to supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to American and global markets.
US lawmakers, European allies and Zelenskyy criticised the deal. Zelenskyy called it a “gift to Putin”.
“All that money goes toward the war against people, against Ukraine, against all of us,” he said.
A British government spokesperson said the United Kingdom would continue to “maintain pressure on Russia through the toughest sanctions regime ever imposed by the UK”.
On the Ground
The diplomacy comes against a background of deadly attacks. A Russian strike on civilian buses in eastern Ukraine killed 33 people, which authorities described as the single deadliest attack this year.
The Miami meeting follows visits to Moscow and Kyiv last month by Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Image: Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, January 2026 (not the Miami talks). Photo by kremlin.ru via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
