Washington, Dec 18 (IANS) US and Russian negotiators are expected to hold talks in Miami, the US state of Florida, this weekend over a peace deal aimed at ending the Ukraine crisis that has lasted nearly four years, US media outlet Politico reported.
The schedule remains in flux, and if they meet, the Donald Trump administration will present to the Russian side the latest development following the talks among US, Ukrainian and European officials in Berlin last weekend, said the report, citing two people familiar with the matter.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to represent the US side, while the Russian delegation is expected to include Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, said the report.
Ukrainian National Security Advisor Rustem Umerov is also expected to meet with the US delegation separately in Miami or another location in the United States over the coming weekend, according to Xinhua news agency, citing Politico.
The US, European and Ukrainian officials have reached consensus or significantly closed gaps on 90 per cent of their differences on a 20-point US draft peace plan during the Berlin talks last weekend, officials with the Trump administration said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine could suspend its bid to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees to prevent a renewed conflict with Russia, if a peace agreement were reached. Kiev is seeking protections comparable to those granted to alliance members, assurances that the United States has so far not offered.
He said that Ukraine stands ready to agree on security guarantees based on NATO Article 5 as a part of a compromise in the peace process, the Ukrinform news agency reported.
–IANS
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