Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that the United States wants to conclude the Russia-Ukraine war by June and has proposed Miami as the venue for next week’s peace negotiations. This marks a significant shift in American diplomatic strategy on the conflict.
Zelensky made the disclosure in remarks to reporters released early Saturday morning. The Ukrainian president explained that Washington’s proposal to host Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams in Miami would be unprecedented, representing the first time such talks would occur on United States soil. “They say that they want to do everything by June,” Zelensky stated, emphasizing the ambitious timeline established by American mediators.
The Miami meeting would be the third installment of US-facilitated negotiations, building on two previous rounds held in Abu Dhabi since January. While the Abu Dhabi sessions successfully brokered a major prisoner exchange, they failed to bridge the enormous gap on territorial issues. Russia currently controls approximately 20 percent of Ukraine and is insisting on recognition of these occupied zones plus further territorial gains in the Donetsk region.
Kyiv has steadfastly refused to cede any territory to Russia, maintaining that sovereign boundaries cannot be compromised regardless of military circumstances. Russian negotiators have stated that territorial demands are non-negotiable and have threatened to intensify military operations if diplomatic solutions do not meet their requirements. This fundamental disagreement over territory represents the most significant obstacle to achieving peace.
As diplomatic efforts proceed, military conflict continues. In a Saturday video statement, Zelensky revealed that Russia had struck facilities essential to the operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants the previous night. The attacks resulted in reduced power generation at several nuclear facilities and an automatic shutdown of one reactor unit. Zelensky characterized the strikes as unprecedented terrorism and insisted that Russia must prove its commitment to negotiations by ceasing attacks on critical civilian infrastructure.
