Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday to discuss the results of the two-day meeting Witkoff held with a Ukrainian delegation in Miami this week.
The call, which lasted for two hours, also included President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as well as Chief of Ukraine’s General Staff Andrii Hnatov and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Rustem Umerov.
Zelensky took to X (formerly Twitter) to describe the talks, writing: “Just now, together with Hnatov and Umerov, I had a long and meaningful telephone conversation with Witkoff and Kushner. We paid attention to many aspects and quite quickly discussed key things that can guarantee the end of the bloodshed and remove the threat of a third Russian invasion, as well as the threat of Russia not fulfilling its promises, as has happened more than once in the past. Ukraine is determined to work honestly with the American side in the future to really bring peace. We agreed on the next steps, the formats of the conversation with America. We cannot discuss everything over the phone, so we need to work in detail with the teams on ideas and proposals. Thank you, @realDonaldTrump, for the intense negotiation approach. More conversations with America are ahead.”
Zelensky’s call with Witkoff comes after Witkoff reportedly declined to meet him in person on several occasions—first on Monday, when the envoy briefly stopped in Ireland on his way to Moscow, and again after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, choosing to fly directly back to the United States. Zelensky was also said to have attempted to join the Miami meetings, but Witkoff instead chose to speak only with Umerov, who serves as Ukraine’s chief negotiator.
Despite diplomatic activity, no peace deal appears close. Kiev continues to insist it will not concede territory or abandon its push to join NATO—both of which remain firm red lines for Moscow.
On Friday, the United States released its 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS), which stated it is in Washington’s interest to end the conflict in Ukraine so the U.S. can disengage from Europe and shift attention to other global theaters. The document has angered both European leaders and Ukrainian officials, who view it as further evidence of the Trump administration’s desire to pivot away from the war.