As the US pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine, Kyiv’s diplomats held meetings with Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio in Florida. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to France on Monday.
Trump expresses hope and says ‘good chance’ there will be a deal to end Ukraine war
President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that there was a “good chance” of a Russia-Ukraine deal, following the latest US-Ukraine talks in Florida.
Trump also said “Ukraine’s got some difficult problems,” after a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy resigned after anti-corruption police raided his home on Friday.
Andriy Yermak, who was Zelenskyy’s trusted right-hand man, was Kyiv’s top peace negotiator. He was a fixture in talks to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
When pressed for clarity on “difficult problems,” Trump said the allegations of corruption among senior political and business figures in Ukraine were “not helpful.”
Rubio calls talks ‘productive’ but says ‘more work to be done’
Following a meeting in Florida, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that talks with Ukrainian officials were “productive,” though more work is required to broker a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.
He reiterated comments made at the beginning of the talks, which lasted more than four hours, saying that the discussions were not just focused on a ceasefire, but also on long-term prosperity for Ukraine.
“I think we built on that today, but there’s more work to be done,” Rubio said.
“There are a lot of moving parts, and obviously there’s another party involved here that will have to be a part of the equation, and that will continue later this week, when Mr. Witkoff travels to Moscow, although we’ve also been in touch in varying degrees with the Russian side, but we have a pretty good understanding of their views as well,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s security council secretary Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv’s delegation, hailed the negotiations in Florida as “productive and successful.”
Wadephul ‘cautiously optimistic’ of a ceasefire
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said he sees the ongoing peace efforts in Ukraine’s war with quiet confidence.
Speaking on the ARD program Bericht aus Berlin, Wadephul said he believes the negotiations for a ceasefire are entering a “decisive week.”
“I am cautiously optimistic that there is now a real chance of a ceasefire and that negotiations can take place on an equal footing,” he said.
However, the foreign minister went on to say that although Ukraine was willing to end the war, Russia was not willing to negotiate.
“The situation is such that Ukraine is constantly saying that it is prepared to accept a ceasefire and prepared to
negotiate,” he said. “The only one missing is (Russian President) Vladimir Putin. He continues to shoot and bomb.”
Zelenskyy shares calls with EU and NATO chiefs
While the Ukrainian delegation is meeting with US officials in Florida, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared on social media that he held phone calls with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO.
I spoke with Mark Rutte @SecGenNATO, and we will continue our conversation in the coming days. These are important days, and much can change. We are coordinating closely, and in our efforts – and in the efforts of all our partners – it is our joint measures and shared positions…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 30, 2025
Zelenskyy said both calls centered on an allignment of thoughts on the current Russian invasion of Ukraine and the continued support of European allies for his country.
Referring to von der Leyen, he added: “It also matters that Ursula is paying close attention to the need to strengthen our resilience amid Russia’s constant strikes on our infrastructure and the energy sector.”
I spoke with the President of the European Commission, Ursula @vonderleyen. We maintain full coordination with the European Commission, and I’m grateful for the support. We discussed the diplomatic situation, and we have a shared understanding of the key issues. It also matters…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 30, 2025
Geneva talks offered revision to Trump’s plan
Following the news of Donald Trump’s 28-point plan, European leaders held a meeting in Geneva on November 23, revising the plan down to 19 points.
Some of the key changes reported included dropping the previous cap on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces.
Additionally, a proposal for a blanket amnesty for wartime acts, which could have shielded war crimes from prosecution, was removed.
However, the most sensitive issues — territorial settlement, Ukraine’s possible membership in NATO and foreign troop presence — were left unresolved. Those were reportedly to be deferred for decision at the level of heads of state (i.e. between the presidents).
What was included in Trump’s 28-point plan?
As the talks continue in Florida, the delegations are discussing parts of plans that were previously put forward.
One of those plans is the 28-point plan proposed by the team of US President Donald Trump, which, among other things, controversially included Ukraine conceding territories, such as Crimea and the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk (the Donbas), even those parts still under Ukrainian control.
Meanwhile, some areas of Donetsk were planned to become demilitarized buffer zone under Russian control.
The plan would also entail freezing the frontlines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which would effectively leave Russia in control of the occupied areas for the time being.
Ukraine would be prohibited from joining NATO and the alliance would agree never to admit Ukraine, while Kyiv’s armed forces would be limited to a maximum of 600,000 personnel.
In exchange for these concessions, Ukraine and its allies would receive “security guarantees,” though no details were provided regarding what these guarantees would entail.
The plan also included an economic reconstruction scheme: some frozen Russian assets would be used to rebuild Ukraine. Russia might gradually be reintegrated into the global economy, which could include potential sanctions relief, economic cooperation, and a return to forums like the G8.
Kyiv and its European allies criticized that plan for being too weighted toward Russian demands.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-updates-rubio-says-more-work-to-be-done-after-talks/live-74956304
