US diplomats met with Ukrainian officials in Florida on Sunday to advance peace talks, kicking off a big week for negotiations aimed at ending the nearly four-year war.
Kyiv and its European allies have pushed for changes to a US-brokered peace proposal that favored Russia, and Sunday marked their last chance to lobby Washington before US special envoy Steve Witkoff travels to Moscow for talks on Monday.
But Russia may stick to its maximalist demands over territory and the downsizing of Ukraine’s military; Kyiv “remains concerned the US only has ears for Vladimir Putin,” Politico wrote.
The flurry of diplomacy comes just after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed his chief of staff — and top negotiator — on Friday following a corruption scandal.