Fighting and airstrikes continued on Saturday in both Ukraine and Russia, killing several people, even as US- and Ukrainian-led negotiations began in Miami aimed at reviving efforts to end the war.
Ukrainian authorities reported four deaths from Russian strikes and widespread power outages across much of the Chernihiv region. A strike on Zaporizhzhia killed two people and injured six, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. Officials in neighboring Dnipropetrovsk said two people were killed and five were wounded. In Russia’s Belgorod border region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that at least two people were killed and another injured in what he described as Ukrainian shelling.
The Miami meetings, which opened Saturday and were scheduled to continue Sunday, included US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner among the US delegation. Witkoff called the talks “constructive,” saying they are part of ongoing mediation efforts focused on narrowing outstanding issues to move closer to a comprehensive peace agreement. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that the talks were “important for the whole world,” and said teams would press on the next day. He said the central question is whether Russia is prepared to genuinely and respectfully move toward an end to the war, particularly amid rising geopolitical tensions related to Iran.
Previous attempts to end the conflict have stalled. Former US president Donald Trump, who once said he could end the war on his first day in office, has appeared less engaged recently. Multiple rounds of talks late last year and earlier this year did not produce a ceasefire. Kyiv and Western allies criticized the Trump administration after a draft proposal surfaced that would have required Ukraine to cede territory still under its control, an outcome they viewed as overly favorable to Moscow.
Zelenskyy said his objectives in meeting US representatives include keeping trilateral talks with Russia on the table and ensuring Washington permits European partners to continue purchasing US arms. Russia, for its part, has sought to consolidate territorial gains to strengthen its bargaining position. Moscow has also benefitted from higher oil and gas prices amid wider Middle East tensions, and the US has temporarily allowed some countries to import Russian fuel.
Separately, Ukraine remains awaiting a long-promised €90 billion EU financial package that has been delayed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The pause in that aid and the mixed signals from international mediators underscore the persistent obstacles to securing a lasting peace.