(NewsNation) — Trump administration officials and a Ukrainian delegation are meeting in Miami to broker a peace deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held the talks with Ukrainian officials on Sunday to go over the 28-point peace plan that was developed between Washington and Moscow.
That plan is currently undergoing revisions, as it’s been criticized by many as being too weighted toward Russian demands. Rubio has reassured the Ukrainians during Sunday’s meeting, saying the end goal is “not just the end of the war, but it’s also an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.”
Steve Yates, a senior research fellow at conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, tells NewsNation that this part of negotiations are going to be “a very long slog.”
“Vladimir Putin is a tough person to try to negotiate with, ultimately if you’re trying to end a conflict that they see as not in their favor rightly or wrongly, then it’s quite difficult,” Yates said. “So you have to come up with the right mixture of inducements and penalties that will get them to stop all the killing and begin the peace.”
Yates added that the Ukrainian side feel vulnerable and don’t want anything that allows for re-invasion, so taking Secretary Rubio at his word is about mapping out some of those points outlined in the peace deal.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media that he spoke with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, and expected the conversation to continue in the coming days.
“These are important days, and much can change,” Zelenskyy wrote. “We are coordinating closely, and in our efforts – and in the efforts of all our partners – it is our joint measures and shared positions that will be extremely effective.”