WASHINGTON: A US delegation held what it described as “productive and constructive” talks with a senior Russian envoy in Florida on Saturday, as Washington presses ahead with diplomatic efforts to help end the war in Ukraine, a US official said.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said the discussions with Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, were encouraging and suggested Moscow was engaging with efforts to seek peace.
The talks took place a day before US, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were due to resume indirect, three-way discussions in Abu Dhabi.
Florida talks
In a post on X, Witkoff said he was part of the American delegation alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum.
“Today in Florida, the Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev held productive and constructive meetings as part of the US mediation effort toward advancing a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict,” Witkoff wrote.
“We are encouraged by this meeting that Russia is working toward securing peace in Ukraine,” he added, while also praising what he described as Trump’s leadership in seeking a “durable and lasting peace”.
There was no immediate public comment from the Russian side on the substance of the discussions.
Diplomatic push
The Florida meeting came ahead of renewed indirect talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine, scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi.
The three sides met last weekend as part of efforts to identify a pathway to end the war, which began four years ago.
US officials have said Washington is acting as an intermediary, holding separate engagements with both Moscow and Kyiv rather than direct talks between the two adversaries.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Witkoff and Kushner would not attend the Abu Dhabi talks, but noted there “might be” a US presence.
Limited pause in strikes
The diplomatic activity follows recent comments by President Trump that Putin had agreed to refrain from attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for a limited period, as winter conditions worsen across the country.
Ukraine has said it would not target Russia’s energy grid in return, but has accused Moscow of continuing strikes. The Kremlin has said the limited pause would end on Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had largely refrained from attacking energy facilities since January 30, but warned that broader attacks had continued.
