HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — In a significant effort to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, high-ranking officials from the Trump administration are engaging in dialogue with Ukrainian negotiators this Sunday in Florida. These discussions are crucial as they lay the groundwork for pivotal meetings expected in the coming week with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, are tasked with refining the details of a proposed peace agreement. This comes at a critical juncture for Ukraine, which has been resisting Russian military aggression since the invasion in 2022.

Complicating the situation further, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently announced the resignation of his influential chief of staff, Andrii Yermak. Yermak, who had been leading Ukraine’s negotiations with the United States, stepped down following a raid on his residence by anti-corruption authorities.

This development is part of a larger controversy involving allegations of $100 million embezzlement within Ukraine’s energy sector, reportedly siphoned through kickbacks from contractors. The scandal has intensified domestic challenges for President Zelenskyy, adding pressure to his administration as it navigates both internal and external crises.

Just last week, Secretary Rubio met with Yermak in Geneva, where both parties expressed optimism over the progress made towards a revised peace proposal. The outcome of these ongoing talks could significantly influence the trajectory of Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.

Now, the Ukrainian delegation includes Andrii Hnatov, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces; Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister; and Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s security council, Zelenskyy has said.

Diplomats have been focused on revisions to Trump’s proposed 28-point plan developed in negotiations between Washington and Moscow. That plan was criticized as being too weighted toward Russian demands. It had initially envisioned Ukraine ceding the entire eastern region of the Donbas to Russia — a sticking point for Kyiv.

The plan, which Trump has since played down as a “concept” or a “map” to be “fine-tuned,” would have imposed limits on the size of Ukraine’s military, blocked the country from joining NATO and required Ukraine to hold elections in 100 days. Negotiators have indicated the framework has changed, but it’s not clear how its provisions have been altered.

Trump said on Tuesday that he would send Witkoff and perhaps Kushner to Moscow this week to meet with Putin about the plan. Both Witkoff and Kushner, like Trump, hail from the world of real estate that values dealmaking over the conventions of diplomacy. The pair also were behind a 20-point proposal that led to a ceasefire in Gaza.

Zelenskyy wrote on X that the Ukrainian delegation would “swiftly and substantively work out the steps needed to end the war.”

In his nightly address on Saturday, Zelenskyy said the American side was “demonstrating a constructive approach.”

“In the coming days it is feasible to flesh out the steps to determine how to bring the war to a dignified end,” he said.

Attacks continue despite diplomatic efforts to end the war

On Saturday, Russian drone and missile attacks in and around Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, killed at least three people and wounded dozens more, officials said. Fresh attacks overnight into Sunday killed one person and wounded 19 others, including four children, local officials said, when a drone hit a nine-story apartment block in the city of Vyshhorod in the Kyiv region.

In a post on Telegram Sunday, Zelenskyy said Russia had attacked Ukraine with 122 strike drones and ballistic missiles.

“Such attacks occur daily. This week alone, Russians have used nearly 1,400 strike drones, 1,100 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles against our people. That is why we must strengthen Ukraine’s resilience every day. Missiles and air defense systems are necessary, and we must also actively work with our partners for peace,” Zelenskyy said.

“We need real, reliable solutions that will help end the war,” he added.

After Ukraine claimed responsibility for damaging a major oil terminal on Saturday near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, owned by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Kazakhstan told Ukraine on Sunday to stop attacking the Black Sea terminal. The CPC pipeline, which starts in Kazakhstan and ends at the Novorossisyk terminal, handles a large proportion of Kazakhstan’s oil exports.

“We view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

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