US Senator Marco Rubio said Washington will not force Ukraine into a peace deal as European officials join Miami talks led by Trump envoys. The meetings include Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov and separate US-Russia contacts are expected in Florida. Land concessions remain the main obstacle, even as the EU agreed a €90 billion loan for Ukraine while rejecting use of frozen Russian assets.
Rubio: US Won't Force Ukraine Into Deal As European Officials Join Miami Talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Ukraine will not be forced into any agreement to end the war with Russia (Mandel NGAN)(Mandel NGAN/AFP/AFP)
US Senator Marco Rubio said Friday the United States will not compel Ukraine to accept any settlement to halt Russia's invasion as European officials joined renewed negotiations in Miami. The weekend talks, led by envoys aligned with former President Donald Trump, come amid continuing fighting on the ground and fresh diplomacy aimed at finding a path to de-escalation.
Diplomatic Round — The meetings in Miami are being led by Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and include Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's chief negotiator, alongside senior officials from Britain, France and Germany. Rubio said he may attend sessions taking place in his hometown. He stressed that any agreement must be voluntary:
"There's no peace deal unless Ukraine agrees to it," Rubio told reporters in Washington. "We can't force Ukraine to make a deal. We can't force Russia to make a deal. They have to want to make a deal."
Separate US-Russia Contacts — Separate meetings between US and Russian representatives are also expected in Florida over the weekend. Reports say Russian delegates could include Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, though Moscow had not formally responded to earlier US-drafted proposals.
Plan And Pushback — Envoys close to Trump have promoted a framework in which Washington would provide security guarantees to Ukraine while Kyiv might be expected to cede some territory. That prospect has been strongly resisted by many Ukrainians, and land concessions remain the central sticking point in negotiations.
Battlefield Reality — The diplomatic efforts have continued alongside hostilities. On Friday, a ballistic missile strike hit port infrastructure on Ukraine's Black Sea coast, with Odesa regional authorities reporting seven dead and 15 injured. Russian President Vladimir Putin used his annual news conference to say Russian forces were advancing along the front and vowed further action.
European Support And Finance — While talks proceed, the European Union agreed to a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to help cover Ukraine's looming budget shortfalls. EU leaders did not reach agreement on tapping frozen Russian assets to fund the package.
The Miami talks follow earlier meetings this month when Witkoff and Kushner met Umerov in Miami and later traveled to Moscow. In November the US unveiled a 28-point plan to resolve the war that initially surprised many European partners; the proposal was later revised after consultations with Ukraine and European governments.
