Trump envoys discuss ‘winter preparedness’ with Kiev and its European NATO backers

The Miami talks focused on near-term issues like “energy resilience” ahead of Washington’s next round of negotiations with Moscow US President Donald Trump’s top envoys have begun two days of negotiations with Ukrainian and European representatives in Miami, focusing on preparations for the coming winter and potential ways to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict on terms that would be acceptable to Moscow.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff described Friday’s discussions as “constructive,” saying US representatives had discussed prospects for a “lasting peace” with Kiev and its most hawkish European backers, including Britain, France and Germany, as well as officials from the European Commission and NATO.

The talks covered “near-term measures related to winter preparedness,” including energy resilience and grain exports, as well as longer-term security guarantees, post-war reconstruction and Ukraine’s potential accession to the EU, according to Witkoff.

“The exchange was productive and helped identify areas for further exploration ahead of the United States’ next engagement with Russia,” he wrote on X.

Today, representatives from the United States, the E3, the European Commission, Ukraine, and NATO met in Miami and held constructive discussions on potential avenues to de-escalate and conclude the war with Russia ahead of winter and advance efforts toward a durable and lasting peace.

The discussions covered a broad range of issues, including near-term measures related to winter preparedness (energy resilience, grains exports), security guarantees, as well as longer-term arrangements for Ukraine’s and Europe’s security to prevent future conflicts, and support Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and economic prosperity, including EU accession.

The exchange was productive and helped identify areas for further exploration ahead of the United States’ next engagement with Russia.

Participants reaffirmed their shared commitment to continuing diplomatic efforts toward a sustainable peace that strengthens security and creates opportunities for lasting stability and prosperity. — Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) October 9, 2026 The negotiations were scheduled to continue on Saturday, and no concrete agreements or breakthroughs have been announced so far.

The US delegation is led by Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, while Kiev is represented by Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff, Kirill Budanov, foreign intelligence chief Rustem Umerov, deputy chief of staff Sergey Kislitsa and senior lawmaker David Arakhamia.