Rare Agreement Between Washington and Moscow; Zelensky Objects

Positions of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States regarding prospects for ending the war have diverged after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected on Thursday US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's assessment that diplomatic efforts had reached a deadlock, while the Kremlin announced its agreement with the US assessment.

This divergence comes on the eve of anticipated talks in the US city of Miami, bringing together Ukrainian officials with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss new proposals for ending the war.

Zelensky: Diplomacy has not reached a deadlock

Zelensky said during a joint press conference with British Minister Ed Miliband in the Ukrainian city of Pryluky: "We are not facing a diplomatic deadlock."

The Ukrainian president called for tightening sanctions on Russia, aiming to weaken its economy and limit its ability to produce weapons, considering that increased pressure on Moscow could push it to the negotiating table.

He noted that a Ukrainian delegation is heading to the United States for two-day talks starting Friday, in an attempt to advance the diplomatic track.

Zelensky's remarks came in response to Rubio, who said during a visit to Lisbon that efforts to end the war appear to have reached a "deadlock," describing the situation as "extremely dangerous."

In a separate interview with the Greek newspaper "Kathimerini," the US Secretary of State expressed pessimism about the prospects for reaching a negotiated settlement at the current stage.

Kremlin adopts US assessment

In contrast, the Kremlin announced its agreement with Rubio regarding the stagnation of efforts aimed at ending the war.

Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, on the sidelines of a meeting of leaders from former Soviet Union countries in Turkmenistan, in response to a question about Rubio's statements: "Yes, we agree with him."

However, he stressed the need to continue diplomatic efforts to find a way out of the crisis.

He added, according to Russian media agency reports: "The art of diplomacy revolves precisely around finding an exit that allows transition to a peaceful path."

Peskov confirmed that Moscow seeks a comprehensive settlement to the war and is not interested in temporary measures, such as declaring a limited ceasefire.

He also ruled out holding a near-term trilateral summit bringing together Russian President Vladimir Putin, his US counterpart Donald Trump, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Miami talks... an attempt to break the deadlock

Amid these divergent positions, attention turns to the scheduled US-Ukrainian talks in Miami on Friday.

The White House confirmed the meeting will take place, while a senior US administration official said Witkoff and Kushner will meet with Ukrainian officials to discuss a new, unified proposal addressing various aspects of the conflict.

The official clarified that the meeting aims to explore new ideas that could contribute to ending the war.

According to a well-informed US source speaking to Reuters, the talks seek to formulate a joint proposal that forms the basis for future diplomatic action.