US, Ukraine Urge Russia for ‘Serious Peace Commitment’ Amid Escalating Strikes

FLORIDA/KYIV — Senior negotiators from the US and Ukraine have issued a joint call for Russia to show a “serious commitment to long-term peace,” concluding two days of “constructive discussions” in Florida aimed at advancing a US-mediated proposal to end the war.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security council, agreed that “real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s readiness to take steps towards de-escalation and cessation of killing.”

The talks in Florida, which continue for a third day and include Jared Kushner, followed a five-hour meeting between Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this week. The Kremlin subsequently stated that “no compromise” had been reached on the draft US peace plan.

The US-Ukrainian diplomatic efforts were immediately challenged by a massive Russian aerial barrage overnight, which saw 653 drones and 51 missiles launched against Ukraine. The attacks struck energy facilities across eight regions, causing blackouts and hitting a key railway hub outside Kyiv.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the timing: “Russia continues to disregard any peace efforts and instead strikes critical civilian infrastructure. This shows that no decisions to strengthen Ukraine and raise pressure on Russia can be delayed.”

Despite the ongoing hostilities, the US and Ukrainian teams reported progress on post-war stability. Their joint statement affirmed they “agreed on the framework of security arrangements” that could underpin a peace deal and “discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace.”

However, major points of contention remain centered on territorial concessions—with Russia currently controlling roughly one-fifth of Ukraine—and the security guarantees Ukraine would receive post-war. Kyiv and its European allies favour Nato membership or comprehensive security guarantees, a prospect Russia staunchly opposes and which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled he would block.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is now pushing for a full briefing from his negotiators, stating he wants to “obtain full information about what was said in Moscow and what other pretexts Putin has come up with to drag out the war.”