Ukraine, Europe, US to meet in Miami for talks on ending war

Ukrainian and European officials are scheduled to convene with US President Donald Trump's delegates in Miami this Friday to explore potential solutions to halt Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. President Volodomyr Zelenskyy confirmed the meeting on Thursday following a Russian attack on buses that resulted in 30 civilian deaths in Kramatorsk, an eastern Ukrainian frontline city.

The previous day, a Russian missile strike in the northern Chernihiv region claimed 22 more lives, including five children. Over the past two days, Russian attacks have killed more than 70 people in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian negotiating team will meet with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in the US, with the two-day discussion expected to cover new ideas and proposals that American negotiators have developed with both Ukrainians and Russians since their recent visit to the region. Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, and other high-ranking officials, such as Rustem Umerov, Sergiy Kyslytsya, and David Arakhamia, will also participate.

They are concerned about the looming winter, as it could become increasingly difficult for the war to cease.

Zelenskyy has urged the US to expand Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service, which would aid in targeting Russian ballistic-missile launchers. He accused the US of being unwilling to pressure Russia into negotiations and demanded that Washington open Starlink, stating that it would incur no cost for the US. Zelenskyy dismissed the notion of a diplomatic stalemate, emphasizing that Ukraine is not at a dead end.

Additionally, Zelenskyy called for more stringent sanctions to weaken the Russian economy, an issue Ukrainian officials are expected to raise during the Miami talks.