The Kremlin is dispatching one of its most influential envoys to the United States as diplomatic efforts over a possible Ukraine peace plan intensify. Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a special representative of President Vladimir Putin, is expected in Miami this weekend for talks with US counterparts. The WP Times reports, citing the Associated Press.
According to AP, Dmitriev is scheduled to meet Steve Witkoff, a special envoy of the US president, as well as Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former US president Donald Trump. The meetings are seen as a continuation of recent consultations held in Berlin, where American officials held talks with Ukrainian and European representatives on the contours of a US-backed peace initiative.
Diplomatic sources say the Berlin discussions focused on security guarantees for Ukraine, possible territorial arrangements and broader political and military parameters aimed at halting the war. The Miami meetings mark a notable escalation in contacts, as they bring a senior Kremlin figure into direct talks with key US actors involved in shaping the proposal.
The Kremlin has confirmed preparations for the contacts. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow expected to be briefed on the outcome of the Berlin talks but declined to provide details on the format or objectives of the meetings in Miami. “We expect to receive information on the results of the consultations,” Peskov said.
The initiative forms part of wider US diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war launched by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. At the same time, Moscow has given no indication that it is softening its negotiating stance.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned that Russia would press ahead with its demands if its conditions for peace are rejected. These include international recognition of occupied Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from certain regions, and a commitment by Kyiv to abandon NATO membership. Putin has also signalled that Russia could seek to expand its territorial control if talks fail.
Ukraine has firmly rejected those terms. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said discussions on neutrality could only take place if Ukraine received binding security guarantees comparable to NATO protections. He has categorically ruled out withdrawing Ukrainian troops from areas not occupied by Russian forces.
Zelensky has also confirmed that Ukrainian officials plan further talks in the United States in the coming days, underlining Washington’s central role. “The United States can truly stop Putin — if the pressure is strong enough,” he said.
While diplomatic activity gathers pace, fighting on the ground continues. On 15 December 2025, another round of talks on the US peace plan concluded in Berlin, attended by Zelensky, European Union leaders and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. A joint statement issued afterwards by European leaders stressed the importance of long-term security guarantees for Ukraine and a structured post-war reconstruction framework.
Donald Trump has since offered a positive assessment of the discussions between the Ukrainian and US delegations, according to people familiar with his comments, suggesting that preliminary alignment had been reached on several key issues — although a comprehensive agreement remains distant.
Background
According to AP, the Miami talks are scheduled for the weekend of 20–21 December 2025. They are described as exploratory discussions intended to test positions ahead of any potential formal negotiations. Whether they will lead to an official peace process remains uncertain.
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