Several people were killed in both Russia and Ukraine on Saturday as strikes continued while US- and Ukrainian-led negotiations began in Miami to try to revive talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Ukraine reported four deaths from Russian strikes on Saturday and widespread power outages in much of the Chernihiv region. A strike on Zaporizhzhia killed two people and injured six, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. Officials in neighboring Dnipropetrovsk reported two deaths and five injuries. Russian Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said at least two people were killed and another injured in Ukrainian shelling of the Belgorod border region.
The Miami meetings, which started Saturday and were set to continue Sunday, included US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the US side. Witkoff described the talks as “constructive,” saying they form part of ongoing mediation efforts focused on narrowing and resolving remaining items to move closer to a comprehensive peace agreement. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that the talks were “important for the whole world” and that teams would continue discussions the next day. He said the key issue is gauging how ready Russia is to move toward a real end to the war “— honestly and with dignity — especially now, when geopolitical tensions have increased due to the situation around Iran.”
Efforts to end the war have so far foundered. After saying he could end the war on the first day of his presidency, former US president Donald Trump has appeared less engaged, and multiple rounds of talks late last year and earlier this year failed to produce a ceasefire. Kyiv and its Western backers have accused the Trump administration of tilting too pro-Russian after a draft document surfaced that would have required Ukraine to cede territory still under its control.
Zelenskyy has said his aims in meeting US representatives include ensuring trilateral talks with Russia continue and that Washington allows European partners to keep buying US weapons. Russia, meanwhile, has sought to consolidate territorial gains to strengthen its negotiating position. Moscow has also benefited from higher oil and gas prices amid the wider Middle East tensions; the US has given temporary permission for some countries to purchase Russian fuel. Ukraine continues to wait for a €90 billion EU financial package that has been stalled by Hungary’s Viktor Orban.
Edited by: Karl Sexton