The United States has established a June deadline for ending the Russia-Ukraine war and proposed hosting the next round of peace talks in Miami, according to an announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The move represents a major intensification of American diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.
In statements to reporters made public early Saturday, Zelensky disclosed that Washington has invited both Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams to meet in the United States for the first time, with Miami identified as the likely location for next week’s session. This unprecedented offer to host talks on American soil demonstrates the depth of US commitment to facilitating a negotiated settlement to the nearly four-year war.
The Miami negotiations would represent the third round of US-mediated talks, following two previous sessions in Abu Dhabi that commenced in January. The Abu Dhabi meetings succeeded in arranging a major prisoner exchange but made no progress on the core territorial disputes that fuel the ongoing conflict. Russia currently occupies roughly one-fifth of Ukraine and is demanding both acceptance of this occupation and further territorial gains in the eastern Donetsk region.
Ukrainian leadership has unequivocally rejected any territorial concessions to Russia, maintaining that sovereign territory cannot be negotiated away under military duress. Moscow has stated that its territorial conditions are essential elements of any peace deal and has threatened renewed military escalation if negotiations fail to produce acceptable territorial outcomes. This fundamental disagreement over borders continues to prevent meaningful progress toward peace despite sustained international mediation.
The diplomatic push coincides with ongoing military operations. Zelensky announced on Saturday that Russian forces had attacked facilities critical to the operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants the previous night. The strikes resulted in reduced power generation at multiple nuclear reactor units, with one unit experiencing an automatic emergency shutdown. Zelensky denounced the attacks as terrorism unprecedented in scope and urged Russia to demonstrate genuine commitment to the peace process by ceasing strikes on vital civilian infrastructure.
Zelensky Says US Proposes Quick Timeline as Florida Set to Host Peace Negotiations
