Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has disclosed that the United States is intensifying efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war with a proposed meeting in Miami next week and an ambitious goal of reaching a settlement by June. The announcement represents a significant development in international efforts to conclude the devastating conflict.
In remarks to reporters released early Saturday, Zelensky explained that Washington has invited both Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams to meet in Florida, specifically in Miami, for what would be unprecedented talks on American soil. This proposal indicates the US is taking a more prominent and direct role in mediating between the two sides. “They say that they want to do everything by June,” Zelensky noted, emphasizing the compressed timeline American officials are working toward.
The proposed Miami session would be the third round of US-brokered negotiations, following two previous meetings in Abu Dhabi that began in January. While the Abu Dhabi talks produced a major prisoner exchange, they failed to resolve the fundamental territorial disputes at the heart of the conflict. Russia currently controls approximately 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and is demanding both recognition of these occupied areas and additional territorial gains in the Donetsk region as prerequisites for peace.
Ukraine has consistently refused to accept any territorial losses, arguing that doing so would reward military aggression and set a dangerous precedent for international relations. Russia has maintained that its territorial conditions are essential and has threatened military escalation if diplomatic channels fail to deliver acceptable outcomes. This territorial deadlock remains the primary impediment to achieving a comprehensive peace settlement.
Against this diplomatic backdrop, military operations continue unabated. Zelensky reported in a Saturday video statement that Russia had attacked facilities critical to Ukraine’s nuclear power plant operations the night before. The strikes caused several nuclear reactor units to reduce output, with one unit shutting down automatically. Zelensky condemned these attacks as unprecedented terrorism and demanded that Russia prove its sincerity in negotiations by ending strikes on vital civilian infrastructure.