The United States has established a June deadline for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict and proposed hosting peace negotiations in Miami next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed. This marks a significant shift in American diplomatic strategy establishing a summer deadline.
In statements to reporters released early Saturday, Zelensky explained that Washington’s proposal to host talks in Miami represents an unprecedented development in the war. This would be the first time Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams have been invited to meet on United States soil. “The United States has proposed for the first time that the two negotiating teams — Ukraine and Russia — meet in the United States, probably in Miami, in a week’s time,” Zelensky stated, adding that US officials want everything accomplished by June.
The Miami meeting would be the third round of US-facilitated negotiations, following two rounds already held in Abu Dhabi starting in January. The Abu Dhabi sessions achieved a humanitarian breakthrough through a major prisoner exchange but failed to make headway on territorial issues. Russia presently occupies approximately 20 percent of Ukraine and is demanding both recognition of these occupied areas and additional territorial control in the strategically vital Donetsk region.
Ukrainian leadership has unequivocally rejected any territorial concessions, viewing them as violations of sovereignty that would legitimize military aggression. Moscow has stated that its territorial demands are fundamental and has threatened military escalation if diplomatic efforts fail to produce satisfactory territorial arrangements. This deadlock on territory represents the most significant obstacle to achieving peace.
As diplomatic efforts continue, so does the fighting. Zelensky announced on Saturday that Russian forces had attacked facilities essential to the operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants the night before. The strikes resulted in reduced power generation at several nuclear facilities and triggered an automatic shutdown of one reactor unit. Zelensky condemned the attacks as unprecedented acts of terrorism and called on Russia to demonstrate commitment to the peace process by halting strikes on critical civilian infrastructure.