US peace plan: Key takeaways from Florida talks ahead of Witkoff's trip to Putin

Key points:

• The talks between Ukraine and the US in Florida lasted about 4-5 hours.
• The main topic was the line of territorial control within the future peace agreement.
• The US conveyed Russia's position on the requirement for the complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donbas.
• Ukraine insists that negotiations on territories are only possible from the current front line.
• The final text of the agreement has not been agreed upon, but the parties have taken a step forward.
• The US is allegedly considering a scenario of effectively blocking Ukraine's path to NATO.
• The issue of security guarantees remains a subject of differing views between the parties.
• Zelenskyy expects a full report from Umerov during a personal meeting.
• Witkoff is already on his way to Moscow for a meeting with Putin.
• Trump has declared that there is a good chance for peace.

Ukraine-US talks in Florida

Negotiations between the Ukrainian and American delegations in Florida on further coordination of the peace plan developed in Geneva have ended, to bring it into a format that will pave the way for peace and security guarantees.

Before this, in Geneva, the parties prepared a revised framework document, reducing it from 28 to 19 points.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who represented the American delegation, called the meeting very productive and useful, but said that the parties still have a lot of work to do.

On the other hand, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who heads the Ukrainian delegation, called the meeting substantive and successful. He said that consultations would continue, and work on agreeing on a joint framework decision would continue.

Western media outlets have learned that the negotiations between the Ukrainian and US delegations in Florida lasted more than four hours (according to other sources, about five hours) and took place in a difficult and tense but productive atmosphere. The main topic was the line of territorial control within a potential peace agreement, Axios writes.

According to the agency's sources, after an hour of talks in an expanded format, the negotiations continued in a small circle: from the US, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Jared Kushner (Trump's son-in-law) participated, and from Ukraine: National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, Deputy Head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Vadym Skibitskyi, and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrii Hnativ.

At this stage, the issue of territory became the only topic of discussion. This was followed by a separate face-to-face meeting between Umerov and Witkoff, after which the NSDC Secretary reported the results to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to sources at RBC-Ukraine, the US, acting as a mediator, is conveying the Russian position, which insists on the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas and seeks to consolidate control over the occupied territories.

Ukraine argues that such concessions are impossible due to constitutional restrictions, public opinion, and the real situation on the front lines, insisting that any talks about territory can only begin from the current line of contact.

The final text of the peace agreement has not yet been agreed upon, but the parties have taken another step forward and are now focusing not on the general framework agreed upon earlier, but on the most problematic issues, including Ukraine's membership in NATO.

The US is reportedly considering effectively blocking Ukraine's path to NATO through separate agreements between Alliance countries and Russia, according to CNN. Formally, Kyiv will not abandon its course towards accession, as it is enshrined in the Constitution.

The WSJ writes that the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine remains unresolved in the peace talks with the US. Sources at RBC-Ukraine say that guarantees are not a problem in negotiations with the Americans. But Ukraine and the US view this issue from slightly different perspectives.

Zelenskyy and Trump

After the talks in Florida, the date and location of the next round have not yet been determined, but working contacts between Ukraine and the US continue.

The Ukrainian side also insists on the need for a personal meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump to outline further political steps in the process of preparing a peace agreement at the highest level.

Following the talks, Trump said there was a good chance of reaching a peace agreement. However, Kyiv has some difficult minor issues — for example, a corruption scandal, which, according to him, does not help to end the war.

After the US-Ukraine talks, Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel that there is a constructive tone in the conversation. He is awaiting a full report from the Ukrainian team at a personal meeting.

After talks with the US, the NSDC Secretary is heading to Paris to personally inform President Zelenskyy about the results of discussions on the parameters of a possible peace agreement to end the war with Russia, Axios writes.

According to the agency, Umerov is expected to arrive in Paris today, where Zelenskyy is currently staying, to report in detail on the talks.

Witkoff is going to Putin. What next?

Meanwhile, the US is maintaining close contact with Moscow, and Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who participated in the US-Ukrainian negotiations, will travel to Moscow today to meet with Vladimir Putin.

According to AFP, citing a source, talks between Witkoff and Putin may take place on December 2. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, they should take place before December 4-5.

An unnamed Ukrainian official told Axios that the main question is what the Russians' position is and whether their intentions are genuine. He added that they would see what Witkoff brings back from Moscow.

Last week, US and Russian delegations met in Abu Dhabi after talks in Geneva, where Kyiv and Washington managed to meet.

The Ukrainian delegation at the meeting in Geneva a week ago was led by Andriy Yermak, the former head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

They discussed the initial 28-point peace plan brought to Kyiv by US envoy Dan Driscoll. The proposals included a demand that the Luhansk and Donetsk regions be recognized as Russian territories, particularly by the US.

This initial draft came as a surprise to Ukraine and its allies, as it contained demands not only to cede territories in eastern Donbas, including areas that Russia does not yet control, but also to abandon the course of NATO membership and reduce the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On November 27, Putin said that the US proposals to end the war in Ukraine could form the basis for a future agreement, but stressed that there was no final version of the agreements yet.

At the same time, Putin added that Moscow would only cease hostilities after Ukraine withdrew its troops from areas of the Donetsk region that the Russian army had been unable to capture by force.

For more details on the peace process, see RBC-Ukraine's article.

Sources: RBC-Ukraine's sources, Axios, CNN, and WSJ.