Senior officials from the United States, Ukraine, leading European countries and NATO held a secret six-hour meeting in Miami on October 9 to map a path toward ending the war in Ukraine before winter, according to reports.
The session brought together US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner alongside Ukrainian, European and NATO officials, according to reports citing a source familiar with the negotiations. The central item on the agenda was finding a way to halt the fighting before the winter season, Witkoff indicated.
The discussion ranged well beyond an immediate ceasefire. According to the reports, the parties reviewed preparations for the winter season, grain export corridors, the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and long-term security guarantees by the United States and Europe.
The most sensitive question — territorial disputes — was also addressed, though details were not disclosed. The allies aim to develop a single agreed-upon plan for settling the conflict within the coming weeks and present it directly to Moscow, according to the reports. Prospects for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union were also on the agenda.
Separately, Ukraine’s president has said Washington is proposing technical-level talks with Russia, in a trilateral format, before the end of October, and that Kyiv is open to the UAE or any other venue the United States proposes. Three sets of US-brokered talks were held in Abu Dhabi and Geneva earlier this year.
