U.S. and Ukrainian officials held roughly four hours of negotiations in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on Sunday, November 30, 2025, to discuss revisions to a U.S.-proposed peace plan aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the session as productive, emphasizing that any deal must safeguard Ukraine’s sovereignty and long-term prosperity, according to remarks reported by CBS News and the Associated Press.
U.S. and Ukrainian delegations met for about four hours on Sunday, November 30, 2025, at the Shell Bay Club in Hallandale Beach, Florida, to work on revisions to a U.S.-authored peace framework intended to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine, which began with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The talks were held at the Shell Bay Club, a golf and racket club developed by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, near Miami. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former adviser, represented the American side, according to coverage by the Associated Press, NPR member stations and the Daily Wire.
The Ukrainian delegation was led by Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. Ukrainian officials Andrii Hnatov, head of Ukraine’s armed forces, and Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, were also part of the team, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in earlier statements reported by NPR member stations.
Before the talks began, Rubio underscored that Washington’s goals extend beyond achieving a cease-fire. “The end goal is, obviously, not just the end of the war. But it’s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity,” he said, according to the Associated Press and the Daily Wire. After the meeting, Rubio told reporters that “it’s not just about the terms that ends fighting. It’s about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity … I think we built on that today, but there’s more work to be done,” as reported by CBS News and AP.
Umerov publicly thanked the U.S. team for its support. “We are discussing about the future of Ukraine, about the security of Ukraine, about no repetition of aggression of Ukraine, about prosperity of Ukraine, about how to rebuild Ukraine. And we are thankful for the efforts of United States and its team to helping us. U.S. is hearing us, U.S. is supporting us, U.S. is beside us,” he said in remarks quoted by the Daily Wire. After the talks, he added that “our objective is a prosperous, strong Ukraine,” according to the Associated Press.
Diplomats from the United States, Ukraine and Russia have been focused on revising a proposed 28-point peace plan drafted in earlier negotiations between Washington and Moscow. That initial framework, which Trump has more recently described as a “concept” or a “map” to be “fine-tuned,” drew sharp criticism from Ukrainian officials and others for being too favorable to Russian demands, including provisions that would limit the size of Ukraine’s military, bar the country from joining NATO and require elections to be held within 100 days. It also initially envisioned Ukraine ceding the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, according to reporting from NPR member stations and the Daily Wire.
Negotiators have indicated that substantial changes have been made to the original framework, though the precise terms have not been made public. Current discussions center on security guarantees for Ukraine, territorial issues and Kyiv’s long-term defense and economic prospects, according to coverage by the Financial Times and Reuters. Ukrainian officials have consistently rejected the idea of ceding additional territory, while Russian officials have continued to insist that Ukraine abandon control over territories Moscow calls “occupied,” including parts of the Donbas, according to multiple news reports.
In a recent statement on social media, Zelenskyy described the American approach as constructive, saying “the American side is demonstrating a constructive approach, and in the coming days it is feasible to flesh out the steps to determine how to bring the war to a dignified end.” He said the Ukrainian delegation “has the necessary directives” and would work swiftly in line with clear Ukrainian priorities, according to Fox News and the Daily Wire.
Sunday’s Florida meeting came just days after Zelenskyy announced the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, following searches of Yermak’s home by anti-corruption investigators. The case is tied to a scandal involving about $100 million allegedly embezzled from Ukraine’s energy sector through contractor kickbacks, according to NPR-affiliated reporting. Yermak had previously served as Kyiv’s lead negotiator in talks with U.S. officials. Rubio met with him in Geneva a week earlier, with both sides calling those earlier discussions positive steps toward a revised peace plan.
Rustem Umerov has since taken over as chief negotiator, even as Ukraine continues to grapple with the corruption probe and broader domestic political pressures, according to the Financial Times. Reuters notes that Umerov has been tasked with steering the talks while Ukraine maintains firm positions on sovereignty and security.
The Florida talks precede a planned trip to Moscow by Witkoff later this week, where he is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the updated framework, U.S. officials and media outlets including the Associated Press and CBS News have reported. Trump has said he may also send Kushner to Moscow.
Meanwhile, the war continues on the ground. Russian forces have kept up missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, killing and injuring civilians and damaging energy facilities, according to recent reports from Reuters, the Associated Press and other outlets. Ukrainian forces have carried out drone attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, further heightening tensions in the region. Casualty figures from the latest strikes vary between reports and continue to be updated as authorities assess the damage.
