Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters afterward that the session with the Ukrainian team in Florida was productive but work remains in the search for a peace deal.
“It’s not just about the terms that ends fighting,” Rubio said. “It’s about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity. ... I think we built on that today, but there’s more work to be done."
President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to meet with Putin in Moscow in the next few days.
Rubio, Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, represented the American side in the high-level talks, held at a sensitive time as Ukraine continues to push back against Russian forces that invaded in 2022 while dealing with a corruption scandal.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was briefed by them and that “Ukraine's got some difficult little problems,” referring to the corruption scandal, which he said was “not helpful.” The president added that "there's a good chance we can make a deal."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy'ss government has been roiled by fallout from a scandal over $100 million embezzled from the energy sector through kickbacks paid by contractors, causing newfound domestic pressures for Zelenskyy.
Diplomats have focused on revisions to a proposed U.S.-authored plan that was developed in negotiations between Washington and Moscow. That plan has been criticized as being too weighted toward Russian demands. As the meeting began Sunday, Rubio focused on reassuring Ukraine.
As the teams sat down at the Shell Bay Club, a golf and racket club developed by Witkoff in Hallandale Beach, Rubio said the goal goes beyond peace to "securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.”
Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s security council, responded to Rubio by expressing his country's appreciation for U.S. efforts, a message geared toward Trump, who has at times claimed that Ukraine has not been sufficiently grateful for U.S. assistance during the war.
“U.S. is hearing us," Umerov said before the meeting. "U.S. is supporting us. U.S. is working beside us.”
Umerov, who appeared with Rubio to deliver a brief statement to reporters after the talks, underscored Ukraine’s gratitude for U.S. support during nearly four-year war. But he offered no hints about what, if any, progress was made during the talks.
Rubio said the talks were comprehensive and went beyond finding agreement on ending the fighting. Trump has repeatedly said that if Ukraine builds deeper commercial ties to the United States it can help deter Russian aggression in the future.
To that end, the U.S. and Ukraine this spring signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine's vast mineral resources.
Among measures included in Trump’s draft peace proposal is the creation of a Ukraine Development Fund to invest in fast-growing industries, including technology, data centers and artificial intelligence. The proposal also calls for Washington to cooperate with Kyiv to jointly rebuild, develop, modernize and operate Ukraine’s natural gas infrastructure, including pipelines and storage facilities. Russia has repeatedly bombarded Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the war.
“We also want to help Ukraine be safe forever, so never again will they face another invasion. And equally importantly, we want them to enter an age of true prosperity,” Rubio said. “We want the Ukrainian people to emerge from this war not just to rebuild their country, but to build it back in a way that will be stronger and more prosperous than it's ever been.”
