Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, will meet U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami to discuss a U.S.-proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine. The trip follows Berlin talks on security guarantees for Kyiv and possible territorial compromises. Moscow is demanding recognition of territories seized in four regions and Crimea and insists Ukraine abandon its NATO bid; Kyiv says it may drop its NATO bid only if it receives NATO-style security guarantees. Fighting continues: Russia launched 82 drones overnight and both sides reported casualties.
Kremlin Envoy Kirill Dmitriev To Meet Trump Envoys In Miami As U.S. Pushes Ukraine Peace Plan
FILE - U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, right, Russian presidential foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, left, Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev, second right, and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, arrive for meetings in Moscow, on Dec. 2, 2025. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
Kirill Dmitriev, who leads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, is scheduled to travel to Miami on Saturday for talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss a U.S.-authored plan to end the war in Ukraine, a U.S. official said Thursday. The official previewed the meeting on condition of anonymity because it had not been publicly announced.
Follow-Up To Berlin Talks
The Miami meeting follows discussions in Berlin earlier this week between U.S. representatives and Ukrainian and European officials. Those talks focused on U.S. security guarantees for Kyiv, potential territorial compromises and other elements of the proposed plan aimed at halting nearly four years of fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Moscow’s Demands And Kyiv’s Response
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was preparing to make contacts with the U.S. to learn the outcomes of the Berlin meetings but offered few details. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded recognition of control over territories Russia seized in four regions, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014. The Kremlin also insists Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO and warns it would treat deployment of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory as unacceptable and a potential target.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is willing to drop a formal NATO membership bid if the United States and other Western nations provide Kyiv with security guarantees comparable to those extended to NATO members. However, Zelenskyy and many Ukrainian officials maintain that full NATO membership remains the most secure deterrent against future Russian aggression. At the same time, Kyiv has rejected Moscow’s demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from areas Russian troops have not captured.
'We have progress in our dialogue with the American side regarding some of our points; they also speak with the Russian side,' Zelenskyy said during a visit to Brussels. He added that he relies on U.S. pressure to compel Moscow to end the war.
Fighting Continues
Diplomacy is unfolding even as aerial strikes continue. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 82 drones overnight; Ukrainian forces said 63 of those were intercepted or jammed. Local officials reported drone strikes in Cherkasy that damaged critical infrastructure, wounded six people and cut power to parts of the city. Additional injuries were reported in Kryvyi Rih and near Odesa.
Russian authorities said Ukrainian drones struck targets in the Rostov region overnight, killing three people — including two crew members of a cargo ship in Rostov-on-Don and another man in Bataysk — and wounding at least ten others. The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 47 Ukrainian drones.
What Comes Next
The Miami meeting marks another step in the Trump administration's effort to broker a deal between Moscow and Kyiv. With sharply conflicting demands from both sides, diplomats face a difficult task reconciling territorial, security and political issues. European leaders meanwhile consider measures such as using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s defense and finances over the coming years.
Note: Details about the Miami meeting were provided by a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity; Russian and Ukrainian officials have offered differing accounts of ongoing talks and military incidents.
