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US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said talks in Florida between US, Ukrainian and European officials have produced visible progress towards a formal peace framework, fueling signs that talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine may be entering a decisive phase.
“Three days ago in Florida, the Ukrainian delegation held a series of productive and constructive meetings with American and European partners,” Witkoff wrote in X. “The Ukrainian delegation included the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Andriy Hnatov.”
The US delegation included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House staff member Josh Gruenbaum, as well as key national security advisers from Europe.
“A separate constructive meeting was also held in the US-Ukraine format, where four important documents were focused: the continuation of the development of the 20-point plan, the alignment of positions in the framework of the Multilateral Security guarantee, the alignment of positions in the framework of the US Security guarantee in Ukraine, and further development in the economic and prosperity system,” said Witkoff. “There was a special focus on discussing the deadlines and the sequence of next steps.
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“Ukraine remains fully committed to achieving a just and sustainable peace,” he continued. “The most important thing we have is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create the conditions for Ukraine’s recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity. Peace must not only be an end to hostilities, but also a dignified foundation for a stable future.
“Ukraine greatly appreciates the leadership and support of the United States and continued cooperation with its partners in the next stages of this important project,” Witkoff concluded.
The special envoy’s comments come after Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Sunday that talks are closer than at any time during the war to a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, praising US diplomacy and pressure from Russian oil sanctions as talks enter what he described as their most difficult final phase.
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Steve Witkoff reported significant progress in the peace talks. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Maybe we are close [to reaching a peace agreement] than at any time in this war,” Stubb said on “The Sunday Briefing.”
He added that Kushner and Witkoff have spent the past few weeks “working around the clock” to bridge the gap between the two sides.
Stubb also praised the unity between the Western partners after the talks last weekend in Berlin, noting two important things that were taken.
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Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, front from left, and Onas Gahr, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of Denmark. Mette Frederiksen, Ursula von der Leyen, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, back from left, stand together at the chancellor in Berlin, Germany, on Dec. 15, 2025. (Markus Schreiber, Pool/AP)
“One was that Europe, Ukraine and the United States were united in our decision to achieve a just and lasting peace… and the second was the idea of ensuring the security of Ukraine,” Stubb said. “So, we’re almost there, but the hardest 5% still remains.”
Stubb said Russia’s private negotiating stance may be more volatile than President Vladimir Putin’s public rhetoric but warned Moscow’s main goal remains to destroy Ukraine’s presence.
The Finnish president added that he had been in close contact with Trump, Witkoff and Kushner as the talks intensified, saying that increasing economic pressure on Russia made the negotiating strategy more effective.
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US sanctions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft are stinging, Stubb said, warning that a total rejection of the US-Ukraine-Europe peace framework must trigger stronger measures.
He pointed out that the US sanctions targeting Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft have been very effective.
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If Russia were to completely reject the peace framework agreed upon by Ukraine, Europe and the US, “that’s when it’s time to increase the sanctions,” Stubb said, “because they’re working.”
Fox News Digital’s Max Bacall contributed to this report.
